Lina Pallotta's portraits of trans activist Porpora Marcasciano at Centro Pecci

The Centro Pecci in Prato presents 'Volevo vedermi negli occhi', the first exhibition at an Italian public institution dedicated to photographer Lina Pallotta (born 1955 in San Salvatore Telesino). Curated by Michele Bertolino and Elena Magini, the show runs until October 2023 and features a long-term photographic portrait of Porpora Marcasciano (born 1957 in San Bartolomeo in Galdo), writer, trans activist, and current president of the Movimento Identità Transessuale (MIT). The exhibition is accompanied by the publication 'Porpora', published by Nero, which won the Italian Council 10 grant. Pallotta, a documentary photographer, curator, and teacher, moved to New York in the late 1980s and studied photojournalism at the International Center of Photography. Her work focuses on subcultures and underground scenes. The two women met in the 1970s in Naples during a period of social upheaval and anti-LGBTQIA+ violence. Pallotta began photographing Marcasciano in 1990, capturing intimate daily moments. The exhibition presents black-and-white images on self-supporting structures forming an irregular central path, with additional intimate photographs on side walls. The images convey love, awareness, strength, and collective unity, tracing Marcasciano's unchanging inner light over the years.