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Nicoló Degiorgis: Hidden Islam

“Hidden Islam series shows that our cultural environment is changing more rapidly than we thought. The current wave of refugees is a reminder that we must be prepared for a number of changes in European societies.”

Nicoló Degiorgis


For Hidden Islam series, Italian photographer Nicoló Degiorgis (b. 1985) has photographed spaces that Italian Muslims use temporarily for worship. Islam does not have official status in Italy, even though it is the country’s second or third largest religion, with 1.1–1.4 million practising Muslims. Officially, there are fewer than 10 mosques in Italy. Degiorgis turned his lens on the topic because of the Muslim population in his locale in northern Italy. Anthropological examination of the topic supported the photographic work.

The images from Hidden Islam series have also been published in a photography book, whose pages at first reveal only the façades of the buildings: sports halls, garages, storage buildings, and others housing makeshift mosques. Folding open each gatefold spread reveals a hidden reality of worshipers assembled in the building.


HOMELAND

PVF 2016
The Finnish Museum of Photography