Venice, the Ponte degli Scalzi: an endless stream
of visitors crosses the bridge at all hours of the
night as they make their way through an epic city.
Naples, in front of Maschio Angioino: a large
truck selling porchetta competes for space with a
sightseeing tour bus amidst the chaos of a vibrant
metropolis. Florence, Santa Maria Novella Square:
a timeless statue of Neptune appears genuinely
puzzled as he appears to observe a frenzied woman
being projected onto an enormous film screen.

Raffaela Mariniello’s enchanting photographs
capture the essence of Italian tourist
destinations by revealing how their present and
past histories effortlessly intermingle. These
nocturnal cityscapes, taken using long exposures,
transform urban spaces into images of
extraordinary beauty and pathos. In each work,
memorable architecture, steeped in history,
becomes a backdrop to the bustling street life of
the present day. The artist remarks that, “… to
visit the original venues is like being
photographed surrounded by their reproduction.”

Souvenir d’Italie is a site-specific installation
of images along the fence of the Consulate General
of Italy. Similar to many of the locations
captured in Mariniello’s images, the consulate
building is a heritage site – a Victorian mansion
built in 1872 within an area that was once a hub
of activity for the Italian community. As
passer-bys encounter these photographs of
promenade scenes that juxtapose the old with the
new, they will find themselves occupying the same
position of the photographer – standing in the
foreground of a historic landmark that has been
infused with new life.

Mariniello was born in Naples where she currently
works and lives. The artist’s meticulously crafted
photographs are in the vein of a social realist
tradition. She depicts the everyday socio-economic
realities of urban and industrial spaces, while
imbuing each image with a sense of the sublime.

Presented in partnership with the Italian Cultural
Institute – Consulate General of Italy, Toronto.

Curated by Bonnie Rubenstein