Russia • Born in 1994

Nowhere Near

Alisa Martynova is a Russian photographer based in Florence. She has been working on the issue of migration for the past four years. First, through a historical project on the descendants of migrants who left Russia (her homeland) to settle in Italy (her adoptive home) after the 1917 revolution. Then, she trained her lens on those who have arrived in Italy more recently after a perilous journey at sea. A 2016 report by the International Organization for Migration lists the main factors that push people to flee their country as insecurity, conflict, and sexual, social or religious discrimination. These emergency situations have nothing to do with the economic arguments or search for work often cited by politicians. 

They come from Nigeria, Gambia and the Ivory Coast. For many of them, the dream turns into a nightmare in Libyan prisons, where they may be subject to torture, slavery and rape. In search of an Eldorado, or at least a decent place to settle, they travel, under cover, night after night. After a long boat journey, they become stars that dissolve into the night, forming a constellation. For all their differences and similarities, they share a dream, a single horizon, for which each of them is willing to relinquish a small part of themselves.

ARBORETUM

In collaboration with Fisheye Magazine and the Fisheye Gallery.
Exhibition produced with the support and expertise of the Agelia laboratory.