Pietro Bologna's 'Ettaro' Book and Exhibition in Lugano

Pietro Bologna (Milan, 1972) has released his first monograph, 'Ettaro', published by Swiss independent publisher Artphilein. The book is not an anthology but a collection of photographs taken daily from 2017 to 2022 during walks with his dog in the Cascina Battivacco area on Milan's southern outskirts, using a mobile phone. This is unusual for an artist who typically works with analog photography and prints in his darkroom. The images depict anonymous parts of a 'terra nullius', a redemption of the ugly. Bologna states, 'Photography for me is an escape from beauty.' Discovering on Google Maps that the area is about one hectare, he named the project accordingly. Among the friends receiving the photos was poet and writer Angelo Lumelli, who contributed seventeen texts related to the figure and three freely inspired by the images. The book functions as a visual diary. A concurrent exhibition is on view at Galleria Choisi in Lugano, serving as a corollary to the book.