Nicola Lo Calzo's Binidittu Explores Saint Benedict the Moor as Symbol of Resistance

Nicola Lo Calzo, a photographer from Turin born in 1979 and currently residing in Paris, showcases Binidittu, a project focused on Saint Benedict the Moor (1524-1589), recognized as the first black saint, whose feast day is April 4. This project was displayed at Chiostri di San Pietro during Fotografia Europea 2022, which ran until June 12, 2022, and was also published as a book by L'Artiere in 2021. Lo Calzo's ongoing research, Cham, initiated in 2010, explores themes of slavery and resistance, culminating in a PhD from École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts de Paris-Cergy. Born to enslaved parents in Sicily, the saint was canonized in 1807. Lo Calzo's work links the saint to the modern African diaspora, highlighting differences between Sicilian Catholic practices and Latin American syncretism, and extends to studies of Afro-descendant communities in Brazil.