On the occasion of the publication of Firelight, her latest monograph produced in collaboration with Laura Serani and published by Éditions L’Artière, Galerie In Camera presents around fifteen previously unseen prints by Amy Friend, drawn from her series Dare Alla Luce.
“The project began with intimate conversations with my Nonna as we looked through family photographs. She would tell me stories from her life (memories spanning generations and continents) but at times, her memories would blur. Names, places, and events became elusive, leading me to question the nature of photographs as objects and the meanings they carry when their stories begin to fade. What happens when the context behind an image is lost ? How do personal photographs shape our understanding of the world, both individually and collectively.
Rather than focusing solely on my own family images, I expanded my research by collecting vernacular photographs from various sources. These anonymous images, detached from their original context, intrigued me. They allowed me to reflect on how photographs communicate (or conceal) when their provenance is lost.
Through experimentation, I developed a process of hand-piercing the photographs, allowing light to pass through them. This use of light became central to the project, symbolizing the rebirth of these forgotten images. The title, Dare Alle Luce, translates from Italian as “to bring into the world” or “to bring to light”, an expression used to describe childbirth, but here also referring to the renewed presence and new interpretations of these “lost” photographs. The title felt appropriate, as it encapsulates the idea of rebirth, the way photographs are continually reborn each time they are looked at anew.
Photography, born of light, is inherently malleable: each gaze subtly transforms it, shaped by the evolution of our perceptions. (…) Within this vast archive of vernacular photography, I was struck by what was missing, entire segments of demographics, historical moments, and significant periods remained undocumented, hidden, or lost.
Dare Alla Luce presents a fragmented collection of vernacular photographs, inviting reflection on the mystery, joy, sorrow, solitude, and creativity they contain.”
Amy Friend