They don't look like me

Dates

2022 - Ongoing
Author

Niccolò Rastrelli
Recognition

Main Prize Shortlist - PhMuseum 2023 Photography Grant

"THEY DON'T LOOK LIKE ME" is a photographic project composed of a series of portraits of cosplayers together with their parents, whose intent is to reflect on the theme of individuality through the world of Cosplay, in which young protagonists play characters taken from manga, anime or video games, exploring new identities, for fun but also to better understand themselves, abandoning for a while the social identity determined by the role often imposed by the context in which they live. Drawing inspiration from John Olson's photographs published in Life in the 1970s, I portrayed cosplayers as rock stars together with their family to emphasize the contrast not only generational but metaphorical between social identity, represented by mom and dad, and individual identity, told through fictional characters.

© Niccolò Rastrelli - Image from the They don't look like me photography project

20 November, 2022 Manuel (28) poses with his grandparents in their bedroom in Livorno, Tuscany, Italy. Manuel works as a butcher and has been practicing cosplay since 2018; in the photo he plays Spider-Man, a Marvel Comics character.

15 November, 2022 Christian (33) poses with his parents and dog in their living room at home in Senago, Lombardy, Italy. Christian has been working as an ambulance driver and practicing cosplay since 2010, in the photo he plays Hawks one of the main secondary protagonists of the popular 2014 superhero manga and anime My Hero Academia.

13 May, 2022 Arianna (17) poses with her mother in the bathroom of their home in Merate, Lombardy, Italy. Arianna studies film and photography and began cosplaying during the Covid-19 pandemic; in the photo she plays Katsuki Bakugo a super hero from the manga series My Hero Academia.

16 November, 2022 Matteo (32) poses with his parents in the living room of his home in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Matteo works as a stage tailor in theaters, has been practicing cosplay since the age of fifteen, and in the photo plays Haganezuka, a secondary character from the manga Demon Slayer.

18 June, 2022 Rachele (28) poses with her family in the living room of her parents' home in Pescia, Tuscany, Italy. Rachele has been working as a pharmacist and practicing cosplay since 2014; in the photo she plays She-Ra, the protagonist of the U.S. animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

24 July, 2022 Vincenzo (23) poses with his family in the living room of their home in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Vincenzo has been working as an intern and practicing cosplay since 2015, in the photo he plays Momon a character from the light novel series Overlord.

23 November, 2022 Rachele (46) poses with her mother in the living room of their home in Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Rachele has been organizing children's parties, clowning in hospitals, and cosplaying since 2021; in photo she plays Morticia, a character from the Addams family, together with her cousin Itt.

06 July, 2022 Marco (24) poses with his parents outside their home in Grottammare, Marche, Italy. Marco has been studying Management Engineering and practicing cosplay since 2017, in the photo he plays Jinx a character from the video game League of Legends.

17 June, 2022 Eleonora (29) poses with her parents in the living room of their home in Lucca, Tuscany, Italy. Eleonora studies History and Civilization at the University of Pisa and has been practicing cosplay since 2014, in photo she plays Sheik from the video game The Legend of Zelda.

22 November, 2022 Alessio (25) poses with in parents in the kitchen of their home in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy. Alessio has been working as an airport employee and practicing cosplay since 2014, in photo he plays Seto Kaiba the main character of the manga series YO-Gi-Oh!

18 May, 2022 Sara (19) poses with her mother in the living room of their home in Lazzate, Lombardy, Italy. Sara studies at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts and has been practicing cosplay since 2020; in the photo she plays Hinata, a character from the manga and anime Naruto.

01 July, 2022 Andrea (28) poses with her parents in the kitchen of their home in Samarate, Lombardy, Italy. Andrea works as a computer consultant and has been practicing cosplay since 2021; in the photo she plays Gojo Satoru a character from the Jujitsu Kaisen manga.

20 January 2023 Federica (33) poses with her parents in the bedroom of her home in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Federica is an 'Italian teacher and has been practicing cosplay for ten years. In the photo she plays a Steampunk character of her own invention. Steampunk is a strand of fantasy fiction that introduces anachronistic technology within a historical setting, often the 19th.century.

05 June, 2022 Emma (19) poses with her parents in the living room of their home in Boviso Masciago, Lombardy, Italy. Emma attends the last year of Scientific High School and has been practicing cosplay since 2019, in the photo she plays Princess Peach, a fictional character from the Super Mario video games.

09 January, 2022 Simone (35) poses with his parents in the living room of their home in Busto Arsizio, Lombardy, Italy. Simone works as an actor and performer and in call centers, has been practicing cosplay since 2003, in photo he plays Jack Sparrow, the main character in the Pirates of the Caribbean saga.

21 January 2023 Eleonora (30) and her sister Sabrina (39), pose with their parents in the living room of their home in Mariano Comense in Lombardy, Italy. Eleonora is an 'English teacher and has been practicing Cosplay for 10 years while Sabrina is a graphic designer and has been cosplaying for 4 years. In the photo they play the humanized version of Umbreon a Pokèmon; Pokèmon are imaginary creatures from video games but also from anime, manga and card games.

23 January 2023 Alex (35) poses with his parents at the front door of their home in Nogarole Rocca, Veneto, Italy. Alex has been working as a factory worker and practicing cosplay for two years; he plays Batman in the photo.

18 December, 2022 Simone (24) poses with her sister Valentina and parents in the living room of their home in Como, Lombardy, Italy. Simone has been working as a video post-producer and practicing cosplay since 2016; in the photo she plays It and her sister Beverly Marsh, two characters from the film It, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

01 October, 2022 Andrea (23) poses with his parents in the kitchen of their home in Cesena, Emilia Romagna, Italy. Andrea works on a 'farm and is an expert in makeup and special effects in the field of film; he has been practicing cosplay since 2012; in the photo he plays the Amphibian Man, the main character in Guillermo Del Toro's film The Shape of Water.

They don't look like me

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