Paolo Cenciarelli's Lockdown Photo Series Documents Homeless in Rome

Italian visual artist Paolo Cenciarelli, born in 1984 and a graduate of Industrial Design at La Sapienza University of Rome, created the photo series '#stayathome(less)' during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The images capture the work of Italian Red Cross operators from the XV Committee, Rome Nord, Cassia, one of the areas with the highest contagion rates. During the pandemic, while many were confined at home, homeless individuals remained on the streets, facing increased hardship as closed businesses eliminated their usual sources of income. The Red Cross mapped these locations to deliver aid, navigating contagion risks and offering contactless support. Cenciarelli emphasizes that his photographs are not exploitative but an act of restitution and memory, rejecting the sensationalism common in pandemic imagery.