Volevo vedermi negli occhi – Centro Pecci Prato

Lina Pallotta, photographer, and Porpora Marcasciano, writer and trans activist, met on the same side of the barricades in the hot city of Naples during the fabulous ’70s and never parted ways. In the ’80s, Pallotta moved to New York City, where she studied at the International Center of Photography and worked as a photojournalist, focusing on projects with a strong political and ethical emphasis. Despite the miles that separated them, the two continued to meet in dispersed geographies, from New York’s East Village to Rome, Bologna, and Naples.

In 1990, Pallotta began photographing Marcasciano with an intimate and affective gaze, using immediate and corporeal touches to capture their relationship. Porpora – the project which is presented here, a selection taken from hundreds of photos – is an in-finite portrait of a friend and companion. A sideways glance captures everyday moments, personal geographies, and the evolution of the body, elucidating the poetry of political action.

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