When
met with the term globalization,
most people associate the concept with international trade, the benefits
of cultural sharing, multilingualism and other colourful perks – like
the downtown region of a city where Indian, Thai, Japanese, Greek
and endless other ethnic foods are conveniently found in one place.
When Italian photographer Antonio Ruggiero contemplates
globalization, he ponders the deterioration of human connection
– the performed happiness of crazed consumers and the solitary,
individualistic aftermath of ongoing materialism.
“We all live the same miserable condition, the same fate,” Ruggiero
confides, “We’re living in a globalized era where everyone’s worth is
expressed by money, bitcoins and stock index. It inspires a feeling
of isolation and desperation that we all feel deep down, but nobody
seems to recognize or address it.”
In Ruggiero’s most recent photography series, a sophisticated
woman wearing sombre colour tones is positioned with a stoic,
straight posture throughout an abandoned industrial space. Her sleek
appearance oddly displaces her presence within the deteriorating space
– yet it is this juxtaposition of her expressionless poise amid the urban
ruins that delivers a striking edge to the series.
“The idea of beauty surrounded and penetrated by deep solitude and
moral death inspired this photographic series,” says Ruggiero, “The
materialism accompanying globalization allows us to hide something
perverse within us – unhappiness. I like to throw it in everyone’s face
by showing the unhappiness in a beautiful woman’s eyes,” he concludes.
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inspadesmag.com