2020/2021
10 photographs, Archival Pigmentprint on Alu-Dibond,
Hahnemühle Photo Rag Ultra Smooth 305 gr., Giclée Druck,
Developed with support of Villa Massimo, Rome
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Two issues in particular are contentious topics for Italian policy-makers: The country's waste management, and the huge number of refugees coming across the Mediterranean.
Waste disposal has been a lucrative business for the Mafia for decades. It leans on the policy-makers to ensure that the contracts are awarded in a way that makes them profitable for the organisation. The problems are particularly serious in Rome, where the Mafia has prevented the construction of waste incinerators. Refugees are putting even more serious pressure on the already greatly polarised country and create a fertile ground for right-wing populist positions. Above all, the newly arriving migrants are expected to be as invisible as possible. Illegal Africans have found a niche here: On the streets of Rome, you can often see little piles of swept up rubbish that remain there all day. A small box is put close to them into which passers-by can throw money. The little piles of rubbish are therefore much more than they appear to be: The sweeper is working on a portrait of Roman society, and leaves yet another trace, their own, with each new pile.