Andamento lento

Martin Bogren

Italia

 

The photographs in this exhibition were taken in Naples. They belong to the series Italia, which is also a photo book published by Max Ström in 2016.

 

Between 2013 and 2015 Martin Bogren undertook his own personal Grand Tour of Italy travelling the country from south to north and photographing in Rome, Naples, Palermo, Bologna, Turin.
It is a lyrical and timeless portrayal of a country that can fit in memory, thoughts, feelings and dreams. Italia is an outer and inner journey, as he writes in the short intimate diary which accompanies his book: “Been walking around aimlessly for days now. Street after street. With a heavy heart, and solitude as a constant companion. I’ve forgotten why I’m here and wonder what I’m doing. A camera clutched in my hand, increasingly fearful, with a cowardly posture. I’ve forgotten why I photograph. It had something to do with solidarity, with getting closer to people. To see what happens inside myself reflected in the outside world and in the people I meet […] I move slowly up to the streets towards the square. A presence and intensity fill me – a connection with the people around me. I feel their energy and their vibrations. The subtlest shift in expressions, movements in hands and in gestures. Everything is given a meaning. I hold my breath and start to photograph – gently at first. I don’t want to lose the feeling”. (M.B.)