Falling Empires

(2021)
Silver gelatine

This work is the result of a post-pandemic trip to Rome, specifically Eur (Universal Exhibition of Rome), a neighbourhood built during the dark era of fascism in Italy as part of Mussolini’s broader vision to reshape Europe. He saw Fascism as part of a larger European movement and aimed to solidify Italy’s role as a dominant power, rivalling other fascist regimes like Nazi Germany. The neoclassical architecture symbolised these ambitions of power and control, through evoking the grandeur of imperial Rome. These themes were linked to the studies I was doing at that time for an essay on Rodchenko’s Russian formalism.

These images hold a heavy relevance to today’s political climate in Italy and across Europe. There is a visual connection between the symbols of fascism, rigid, controlled, and oppressive, and the face masks that became ubiquitous during the COVID pandemic. Both symbolise an attempt at control, yet they are a symptom of our society’s vulnerability. There is a contrast between the illusion of absolute order in the architecture and the chaotic realities of the pandemic.
The setting itself is filled with contradictions exposed by the imposing architecture of Eur, designed to project power and dominance, standing in contrast to the city’s state of decay.