Cuore nero - Metrò

Gabriele D’Agostino, born in Palermo in 1995, is a photographer who currently lives and works in Milan and goes by the name Dago. Greatly affected
by his father’s death when he was still a child, the artist developed a special sensitivity towards small gestures, seeking traces of life and humanity therein.
This research can be found in his reportage Cuore Nero - Metrò, a project that he created, or better «stolen» in 2022 in the underground, using
his mobile phone. The project is an intriguing exploration of the contrast between the search for emotions, delicateness, and intimacy and a particularly
impersonal place, where the hectic rhythm and the anonymity of the crowd often encourage distancing rather than connection.
Nonetheless, Dago still manages to capture moments of gentleness and lightness, capable of bringing a smile to the viewers’ faces. His images are echoed in us all because we can all see ourselves in those portraits and in those gestures of affection, or else may want to feel the same emotions.
Dago’s photographs are not just visual documentations; they are the veritable evocations of a universal desire for human connection. In an apparently
cold and anonymous space like the underground, his images succeed in capturing and conveying the essence of human warmth, demonstrating that
delicateness can also be found in the most unexpected places.

Every saint has a past

Ever since she was a child Claudy Woods, born in Boston (Lincolnshire) in 2003, has had a deep passion for art history. This led her to create, between
November 2023 and February 2024, the project Every saint has a past. Woods reinterpreted the traditional iconography of ten saints, using the self-portrait as a means to communicate her thoughts. The images are re-elaborated with colours and details that infuse a unique and profoundly inspiring touch to the final results. Claudy Woods’ photographs strike us for their authenticity and the courage with which the artist questions herself, making the message she wants to convey even more powerful and personal. As a young woman of her generation, Woods finds herself immersed in an intense research for identity and a challenge for gender affirmation, seeking to overcome the patterns and pre-conceptions that continue to permeate society. The artist comes from an Irish Catholic family on her mother’s side, and although she is no longer a practicing Catholic, she still perceives the weight of the past, which is manifested in her sense of guilt and shame, especially when it comes to matters related to sex and femininity. The saints represented were chosen by virtue of the stupefying courage they showed, fighting for their ideals until their death. The images create a profound dialogue between past and present, transforming her reinterpretations into powerful reflections on the female condition and personal identity.