Manik Katyal on Nicolo Degiorgis “Hidden Islam”

Nicolò Degiorgis is an Italian visual artist, publisher, photographer, and curator. He runs Rorhof, an independent publishing house in Bolzano, Italy. He has self-published a number of books, including Hidden Islam.

Italy –

Winner of Author Book Award 2014 at the Rencontres d’Arles, self-published book ‘Hidden Islam’ by Fabrica graduate, Photography feature – Nicolo Degiorgis, is a strong anthropological documentation of Islam in Italy.

Touching upon the sensitive issue of Islamophobia in Western Europe, ‘Hidden Islam’ is a five year long project, made between 2009-13, which decodes the ground reality of Italy’s right to worship freely. With an estimated population of over 1.35 Muslim practitioners, shockingly enough, Italy has total number of 8 mosques which leads to proliferation of makeshift places of Islamic worship. Social and political pressure from right-wing party, Lega Nord has shown a large minority being forced to pray in; Warehouse, Shop, Supermarket, Apartment, Stadium, Gym, Garage and Disco.

Hidden_Islam_03

 

“In Italy the right to worship, without discrimination, is enshrined within the constitution. There are 1.35 million Muslims in Italy and yet, officially, only eight mosques in the whole country,” Martin Parr wrote in introduction to Nicolo Degiorgis’s Hidden Islam.

With a map of North East Italy on the cover of the book, titled Hidden Islam « Islamic makeshift places of worship in North East Italy, 2009-2013, is made out of 45 gatefolds showcasing a very interesting and clever contrast between the black and white buildings used for worshipping, with the unfolded intimate colour images of muslims performing ‘Salat’ (offering prayers ) on Fridays.

 

Related Posts

Tsutomu Yamagata: Thirteen Orphans

Japan –  One day an old man in a plain suit sat next to me by a pond in a ...

Momo Okabe: “I truly wanted to destroy everything I had”

Japan –   Momo Okabe’s photographs depict the bare situation. Be it the sexual act, a wasteland, or the wake of ...

Max Pinckers – The Fourth Wall (2012)

India – A photograph of two men in uniform climbing over a fence, escaping. A re-enactment of a moment that ...

Gianmarco Maraviglia – Olivia’s Roots

Italy – Olivia has grandparents coming from four different nationalities. Italy, Germany, Egypt and Romania. A child who embodies these ...

PhotoEspaña 13 : Body. Eros and Politics.

Spain –  PhotoEspaña, one of the most important photography festivals in Europe, which has its epicentre in Madrid (exhibitions also ...

Bombay Dreams – Aparna Jayakumar

India – Emaho caught up with Mumbai-based photographer Aparna Jayakumar who has done some very interesting documentary, editorial and commercial ...

Richland : Gustavo Jononovich

Argentina – On behalf of “progress” we have transformed our environment into the lifeblood of our economy. Everything we manufacture ...

My Recollections – Mitsu Maeda

Japan – This is a ongoing series of my personal photographs of my grandmother, Tsuyajyo,  who started to have symptoms of ...

Rafael Arocha: “Medianoche” – Confessions of Night Seduction

Spain –  Medianoche refers to a border that confronts us with certain limits. A temporary space in which we can explore ...