Hot Sicily
Sicily is located in the southern part of Italy and it is one of the poorest regions in the country. As a result, the island is a place where time goes by without a lot of changes. If something happened nobody would recognize it, because movement is that slow.
Every year in August, Sicily becomes a hot spot. Many Italians from all over spend their holidays on the island. It’s the only time Sicily is accepted as a part of Italy. Most of the tourists on the island are Italians and they are from the richer northern parts of the country. At any other time of the year they would prefer to cut off the poorer south but luckily the island provides enough hot sun and beaches for all of them.
In 2004 I travelled to Sicily. It was a trip back in time. I never thought I would discover a place where you would find colours from the 80th, especially seen in the way people dressed. Sicily is a very special place; there is no rush because of the heat and the most important thing in the summer is the food and the beach. That’s what everybody talks about all day long. I travelled around the island and visited countless places where people spend their time relaxing. I also looked for moments that expressed the feeling of timelessness and freedom. Most importantly I wanted to give my pictures the impression that people who look at them stop for a while and rest. It’s a desire for moments everyone has experienced in life, moments when you forget about everything and just feel good and turn off your brain. Also my work includes moments of ice-cream, sun, sand, old people, kids and families; the most important values in Italy. In essence it’s a work about a special feeling, at least good one – the sunny side of life.