Paola De Pietri

The series Portraits at Malpensa Airport comprises nine portraits taken in Milan’s Malpensa airport in 2002. The frontal, full-length portraits, shot against an anonymous background which is the same for all of them, create a suspension, a pause, almost a moment of contemplation which sheds light on the individual’s identity and story. Each of the travellers was asked not only for his or her name, but also to list those of all the ancestors he or she could remember. The names are presented in the form of a stylised family tree at the top of the white frame of the photograph. A memory exercise regarding personal history, it raises the issue of our biological and cultural legacy.