Sofia Uslenghi: Photography as Self-Discovery and Visual Stratification

Sofia Uslenghi (born 1985 in Reggio Calabria) uses photography to explore her personal history, family, and origins, employing visual stratifications, maps, satellite images, and Google Street View screenshots. Her work blurs the line between photography and art, featuring overlays, self-portraiture, and narrative. She was mentioned by Sony World Photography critics in 2011, 2013, and 2014; participated in Wopart 2017 and Mia Photo Fair 2018 with Heillandi Gallery; and exhibited at Paris Photo in 2021 and 2022 with Galleria Valeria Bella, Milan. Her work was included in the group show "Fotografe!" at Villa Bardini, Florence (2022, curated by Emanuela Sesti and Walter Guadagnini). In 2023, Sky Arte aired a documentary on her work directed by Francesco Raganato. In an interview, Uslenghi discusses her approach: she avoids reducing photography to mere image, treating it as an open result. She uses self-portraiture not to impose but to establish relationships, maintaining distance through filters. Her practice is influenced by painting and music; she recalls being moved to tears by Egon Schiele's paintings in Vienna. She emphasizes spontaneity and discovery, often finding meaning through others' perspectives. Her series "My Grandmother and I" addresses her family's painful move from Calabria to Lombardy at age twelve and her idealization of her grandmother, seeking belonging.