words by Gabi Logan
Young Milanese photographer Pietro Baroni exposes the private side of Italy’s fashion capital in his online photo exhibition ‘Milan Closets’, an informal photographic census of the unexpected personalities and proclivities that lie behind the closed doors of residents’ closets.
Through images of immigrants, students, workers, and other average citizens, Baroni aims to show a different side of Milan than the common stereotype of residents in high heels and the latest fashions flitting from one happy hour to another. According to Artsblog.it, it’s “more than photojournalism, it’s an actual social experiment”.
For the last year, Baroni has collected photos for the collection purely by word of mouth. Residents of Milan contact him, and he comes to their homes to photograph them in front of their closets.
The portraits of ‘Milan Closets’ showcase residents from across social classes, ranging from a washerwoman and a Senegalese hawker to a journalist and a CEO’s personal assistant. Surprising paradoxes emerge within portraits, such as the shy school teacher with a passion for rock climbing, and in comparing the images, such as the washerwoman who dresses better than the manager.
Baroni’s online exhibition currently features 40 portraits, but he plans to grow the collection to 100 images to create a photobook of the exhibit.
