Biografy
Paolo Belloni
Livorno – Italy
His job takes him to travel a lot so he has the opportunity, in the few spare moments, to take some photos, with the aim of testifying the beauty or the particularity of the places he manages to visit. After a brief excursion as a boy, he has only recently started taking pictures again and this represents an opportunity to carefully observe reality and capture its details, especially those that most people do not see or underestimate. He finds that photography is a powerful tool for meditation and for this reason he prefers to take pictures in manual, without autofocus, almost with an analog approach. He likes all styles, preferring street and landscapes, in particular the Bassa parmense emiliana, and he loves symmetries. He hopes that his shots, in addition to being liked, can convey emotions that can invite reflection.
The Project
The challenge of identity:
The photographic project aims to represent women in a country halfway between modernization and strong respect for tradition like Turkey. It must be said that there is no “type” of Turkish woman; there are different ones. Obviously there is the most emancipated and autonomous woman, much more present in Istanbul or Izmir rather than in the deep south-east of the country. In Istanbul you often meet, in the same family, veiled women walking together with daughters or friends in jeans and sneakers. You can also meet women entirely veiled, with the Burka or Niqab. Turkey is a wonderful and very complex country, it is not correct to generalise. In fact, it is common in Turkey to see groups of girls, some with miniskirts and heels, others sporty or casually dressed and others with the veil, walking all together. This vision of a free and emancipated woman is very present in Istanbul and other cities in Turkey, despite the recent process of Islamization of the country, even more evident in recent years. Let us remember that women are the keystone of every society, respect for their identity makes a country healthy.