Unseen. Looking at Europe / Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Far from the urban centre, there’s a Europe that we rarely glimpse, whose inhabitants increasingly remain unseen. For the project “In the Shadows – Families in Europe” four photographers from Albania, Belarus, Germany and Italy travelled both in their own country and to one of the other countries, accompanied by local journalists. The project I embarked upon took me on a photographic journey through Albania and the heart of central Germany, formerly known as the GDR.

Within this endeavor, distinct titles were born, each encapsulating a unique essence. In Albania, the title chosen was "Children of the Adriatic City". In central Germany, several titles emerged, including "Until Now," "Curtain Up," "Romy," and "Coffee and Cakes at Christine's and Other Stories from Central Germany." Each title encapsulates a distinct theme and narrative that spontaneously unfolded throughout the project, offering diverse perspectives and stories to be explored. This Project was supported by the Goethe Institute Milan.

Children of Adriatic City Albania 2018

“I’ll show you a place in Albania you won’t forget in a hurry.” And yes, Hervé the Frenchman, who just like me had already been living in Albania for quite some time, was right. Adriatic City wouldn’t let go of me after the first encounter. This ghost city is like a place you only really find in a dream. 4 blocks of houses in the middle of nowhere that were built in Hoxha’s time for workers who were going to be employed by a state-run factory. Yet the factory was never finished, but the people who lived there stayed on after the ‘turnaround’. It struck me that there were so many children there who really were having a lot of fun in such a spacious secluded landscape. They jumped around on the bunkers, ran aimlessly from one house to another, and showed me the old dilapidated school. An unbelievable energy that is set loose in this desolate region. They tell me: “We’re just waiting ‘til we grow up and then we’re out of here.”