Dreams and daily lives of the young Chinese generation in Italy. As children of the wave of Chinese migration to Italy in the 1990s, many young Chinese-Italians now search for an identity that acknowledges their traditional family background and their future in Italy — a country in which they were born and raised. Others are young travellers from China who have chosen to settle in Florence, Rome, and Milan to pursue their dreams of becoming artists, singers, and fashion designers in the Italian mould.
In the background, a drama plays out. The Chinese community in Italy is still labelled as obscure, unknown, and controversial and has become renowned for issues surrounding illegal labour and counterfeit ‘Made in Italy’ luxury goods.
Made in Italy explores this delicate love-and-hate relationship between the Chinese and Italian communities through the faces and experiences of the young Chinese living in Italy.
The project was supported by FRESH! Young Italian Photographers, a photostory and editing masterclass for ten selected emerging Italian photographers. Made in Italy was exhibited at 10b Photography Gallery (Rome) as part of FRESH! final group show and published in Italian magazine IoDonna in February 2015. It was also shortlisted as a finalist for the Marco Pesaresi Award and the Portfolio Italia Award in 2015 and exhibited at Centro Italiano per la Fotografia d'Autore in Bibbiena, in November 2015.