the Idea

Every face has a story. The idea for ITALIANY was born while looking at photographs of New York’s Little Italy from the early twentieth century. Hundreds of Italian faces looked back through the images, yet almost nothing remained of their lives. Who were they? Why had they left Italy? What dreams had brought them there? What became of them? The Project was created from the desire to ensure that today’s generation will not remain anonymous to the future. Since 2014, Alexo Wandael ITALIANY is a growing collection of faces and voices of Italians who have chosen to build their lives beyond Italy’s borders. What began in New York has gradually expanded across the United States and now beyond, following the paths of individuals whose journeys have been shaped by work, love, curiosity, opportunity and the desire to build a life elsewhere. Each portrait is the result of a personal collaboration between photographer and subject. Together, they create an image that reflects not only a person, but also the place they have chosen to call home. Accompanied by each participant’s own interview, every portrait becomes a personal testimony, a record of identity preserved in both image and voice. Rather than celebrating fame or success, ITALIANY celebrates individual experiences. Together, these stories form an historical portrait of contemporary Italians living around the world. More than a photographic project, ITALIANY is a living archive created for today, and for those who, many years from now, will want to understand not only how these people looked like, but who they were and what they were doing. “I would love to dedicate this project to all those Italians who left their families, their comforts, their friends by honoring, with my modest contribution, their courage, their sacrifices and their achievements. I think that Italiany is a deserved tribute to my beautiful country that forged such incredible talents”.

the Title

ITALIANY is a name with more than one reading. When the project began in New York, the name was born from the combination of ITALIA + NY, Italy and New York, the place where the first portraits were made. Read aloud, however, ITALIANY echoes the Italian word “ITALIANI”, meaning Italians. And there is another, more playful layer: ITALIAN + Y. In English, the invented ending gives the word the feeling of something Italian in character, something done or experienced in an Italian way. What began as a play on Italy and New York has therefore grown with the project itself. Today, ITALIANY no longer belongs to one city or one country. The name has become a way of describing Italians wherever their lives have taken them.

the Author

Alexo Wandael is an Italian award-winning artist and filmmaker working across photography, film and visual storytelling. Born and raised in Bolzano, Italy, he studied Architecture in Ferrara before moving to Berlin and New York, where he practiced architecture for eleven years, working on projects in the United States and Asia. He eventually turned to photography, working in fashion and fine art. His work has been exhibited internationally and is part of the permanent collection of the FIT Museum in New York. In 2012, he traveled to Afghanistan with the Italian Army, documenting Afghan women and children held in prison and the training of Afghan women soldiers. Drawn to people, places and narrative, he published two photography books documenting motorcycle journeys across America between 2013 and 2016.In 2014, he began ITALIANY, an ongoing project that continues to evolve today. He later expanded his visual practice into film, founding LANYMA Films and directing and producing short and feature films, music videos and commercials. After living and working for many years in New York and Los Angeles, Wandael is now based in Montreal.

the Sponsors

2014: Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò was founded with the specific intent of spreading Italian culture and with the motto “All we who are learned are Italians” involves itself with prominent Italian artists, scholars and politicians, whose presence constantly engages new points of discussion, opening and encouraging dialog with Americans on Italian life and culture.

2015: BBAX gallery currently plays as a nexus between artists, Cultural Art Centers, Museums and countries throughout art around the world, and as an important reference point with the International Art Exchange Program. The main mission is to have a powerful programs for exhibitions, workshops, and artists-in-residence, establishing exchanges among countries in order to strengthen international cultural relations and engage local communities.

2014-15: Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Italy’s No. 1 premium beer, launched in the United States in 2005, today is enjoyed across six continents. The brand’s history, taste, design and partnerships with well-known Italian chefs, designers and exclusive fashion events reinforce the beer’s stylish Italian heritage. Built on a foundation of excellence, Peroni’s name and branding are a symbol of the style, distinction and quality that Italy has been exporting to the world ever since.

Contacts

Official website: www.italiany.world

Wandael website: www.alexowandael.com

Instagram: @wandael73

Email: contact@italiany.world