LET ME IN

The Western Balkan route stretches from Greece to Austria and during the 2015-2016 onslaught of asylum-seekers fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere, hundreds of thousands of migrants travelled the path to enter Europe.

The project "LET ME IN" focuses on the most recent mass migratory movement. It consists of a series of 80 self-portraits of an immigrant or a refugee plus his/hers handwritten letter, a note left on the photographer's diary. The pictures were collected on the Balkan route at the borders of Europe, in Belgrade, Subotica, Horgos, Sid, Tovarnik, Berkasovo, in the improvised campsites, in the city parks, on the road lead- ing to the border fences, in the bushes where some people where hiding, at the bus or railway stations. People fleeing their homeland for Europe were asked to take their picture with a remote control and to write a letter containing either a message to the country of their destination, a story from the journey, some more intimate thoughts, words from a song, a poetry, a drawing. The aim of the project is to form a body of work representing - both in images and words - statements of individuality from people within the migratory movement, in the attempt to find a way to connect with individuals in the often reported indistinct flow of migrants crowd. Avoiding to indulge on the feeling of compassion or on images of misery, persons are courageously photographing themselves looking into the eyes of the European people and into what they believe will be their future. The final goal is to restore the dignity of every single human being, sharing their messages and showing their figure, promoting a better and clearer awareness concerning the migration crisis and its victims.