Silvia Rosi – Self Portrait as my Mother

Posted by Fabio 16 January 2020

Silvia Rosi’s work explores her personal family history drawing on her Togolaise heritage, and the idea of origins. Her mother, who has been the source of inspiration for much of her previous work, plays a central role in this project, as well as her father, and their experiences of migration from Togo in West Africa to Italy. She has been informed by this history and her position as a European looking in on her family heritage. Her project is partially inspired by the West African studio portrait and also includes a visual deconstruction of head carrying techniques, a practice with its own histories, skills, rituals and aesthetics, and a strong connection to Silvia’s own family history. For this exhibition, her work will include new examples of colour and black and white photography, as well as works where she explores working with video for the first time.

“Self Portrait as my Mother concerns the family album and the idea of re staging archival images through self-portrayal. The projects is inspired by a journey to Togo, my mother’s country of origin, where I found a collection of family studio portraits. Borrowing the aesthetic of the African studio portrait, I created a series of images that re-stage my mother’s early years as a migrant in Italy, exploring displacement and representation within my own family album.”_Silvia Rosi

Silvia Rosi
Jerwood/Photoworks Award 2020
Jerwood Arts, London
15 January – 8 March 2020

www.silviarosi.co.uk