Portraits in Black is a collaborative photography project by Italian photographers Marco Ambrosi, Matteo Danesin and Aldo Sodoma. The project was initiated in 2003 with the aim of showing the real life of the Nigerian and Ghanaian Pentecostal communities residing in Verona, Italy. Having been exhibited in several countries including Spain, France, United States, Greece, China, Germany, UK, Portugal, Nigeria and Senegal, the show was accompanied by a catalogue showcasing the images and three essays about photography, Pentecostalism and immigration.
“We photographers wanted to use our art as a tool to discover, describe and possibly change reality.
After two years we opened a major exhibition of over one hundred large format images at the International Centre Scavi Scaligeri in Verona and later at the Museo del Santo in Padua. Subject were different Pentecostal communities composed by people from Nigeria and Ghana, resident in Verona.” – says Marco Ambrosi
All the photographers have contributed in expressing their point of view by exploring a different aspect of life of these communities. While Ambrosi visited several churches with his portable studio taking portraits of people dressed in sumptuous feast, Matteo Danesin captured images of social gatherings including ritual ceremonies, parties and other meetings. Aldo Sodoma was welcomed into the homes and workplaces of these African communities, enabling him to explore their ‘real world’.
