Over the past
two years I have focused on exploring the connections between identity and
landscape, using the photographic medium to investigate human geography and to
trace the human imprint on a territory.
“Undrawn Hours”
(2010, Arts Council England Sponsorship) is a photographic exploration of the
Skagi peninsula, northern Iceland: scourged by winter storms and drained by the
economic recession, this area is littered with abandoned farms and unused
summer cabins, broken sheds and decommissioned boats, a stark reminder of the
depopulation and decay of local farming and fishing industry.
This series
forms a lyrical depiction of the shift in human geography that has lead to the
abandonment of the countryside and decline of manual industry. The harsh
weather made human encounters rare and the structures that remain have become
relics abandoned in a sea of hay and ice, reminders of a past human presence.
Untitled, from the
series “Undrawn Hours” 2010. © Paola Leonardi
Untitled, from the series “Undrawn Hours” .2010 © Paola Leonardi
In September 2011
I was awarded the possibility of spending a month at ACOSS Artist Residency,
Yerevan, an experience that was supported by a grant from the Arts Council
England.
There I produced
the series “Neverland”, which focuses on the identities of Armenian
communities, with particular interest for portraying people in peripheral areas
of the country.
This series
forms an exploration of borders, in particular of the contended Nagrono
Karabakh. By combining artistic portraiture and photojournalistic reportage it
composes an exploration of identity, memory and territory and how these have
been shaped by history and events.
“Neverland”
uncovers the existence of wider identities, which move beyond language, family
and home as hybrid constructs; it explores the role of the family: in terms of
its many paradigms, as a genre in contemporary photographic practice, is also a
key metaphor in my work. The process of moving away from, or being away from
home and temporarily adopting other homes through extended familial experiences
is a significant motif that permeates my work.
Images:
“The Bearded Man” from the series “Neverland” 2011 © Paola Leonardi
“The Watermelon Man” from the series “Neverland “ 2011 © Paola Leonardi
very nice work i am waiting to see your current work!!;) when is going to be ready??
ReplyDeletethank you. Over the next few days I will upload my first attempts at photographing borders in Finland and Greece. This project is at the very initial stages.
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