Napoli

Afrika begynder i Napoli, siger man længere nordpå i Italien, og selv om det ikke er ment som en kompliment, kan man også som turist se mere end et gran af sandhed i den pointe. Havets nærhed, solen, menneskemylderet, de ramponerede paladser og gadehandlerne peger mere i retning af Marseilles,Tanger og Algier end de gængse europæiske destinationer. Napoli er Italiens tredje største by kun overgået i indbygger antal af Rom og Milano og fuld af trestjernede seværdigheder, der ikke er meget kendt i Danmark. Men det er også en by, der i største delen af sit næsten 3000-årige liv er blevet stedmoderligt behandlet. Napoli har også fået sin rigelige del af naturkatastrofer og an- den modgang. Mest berømt er Vesuvs udbrud i år 79 e.Kr., der ødelagde de nærliggende byer Pompeji og Herculanum. Denne bog handler mest om kirkerne og klostrene i Napoli, om tro og overtro, helgener og mirakler. Som altid i Europas gamle byer er kirkerne oplagte som afsæt, hvis man gerne vil vide noget om topografi og historie, og hvis man er nysgerrige er kunstens klassiske temaer og de store personligheder, der i ældre tid var beslutningstagere, meningsdannere og smagsdommere. Der er nok at undres over. Og nok at overraskes af.

The book presents a selection of the photographic work made in Naples by Anders Petersen, Swedish master of photography, during Spot home gallery's first artist residency in the year 2022. Throughout his long career, Petersen has photographed in cities across almost every continent, from Tokyo to London, from Valparaiso to Stockholm, driven by an inexhaustible curiosity and a profound interest for the other. For him, photography serves as a means to explore the complexity of the human experience, to capture with sensitivity and honesty the emotions that define and unite us as living beings, part of the one, big, same family. Naples, a "city-world" of many thousand facets, with its chaos and its diverse humanity, was the ideal place for a photographer like him: it is precisely in chaos that life unfolds with all its unpredictability, vibrancy, and beauty. They had never met before, but when it happened, it was love at first sight. Anders was struck by the city's energy and enthusiastically accepted the not-so-easy challenge of photographing it. Naples revealed herself without filters, without fear of showing its wounds and vulnerabilities, open to the empathetic approach of a photographer who can look beyond the surface of things, who can find beauty in the ordinary, and embrace its imperfections.

The book presents a selection of the photographic work made in Naples by Anders Petersen, Swedish master of photography, during Spot home gallery's first artist residency in the year 2022. Throughout his long career, Petersen has photographed in cities across almost every continent, from Tokyo to London, from Valparaiso to Stockholm, driven by an inexhaustible curiosity and a profound interest for the other. For him, photography serves as a means to explore the complexity of the human experience, to capture with sensitivity and honesty the emotions that define and unite us as living beings, part of the one, big, same family. Naples, a "city-world" of many thousand facets, with its chaos and its diverse humanity, was the ideal place for a photographer like him: it is precisely in chaos that life unfolds with all its unpredictability, vibrancy, and beauty. They had never met before, but when it happened, it was love at first sight. Anders was struck by the city's energy and enthusiastically accepted the not-so-easy challenge of photographing it. Naples revealed herself without filters, without fear of showing its wounds and vulnerabilities, open to the empathetic approach of a photographer who can look beyond the surface of things, who can find beauty in the ordinary, and embrace its imperfections.