01 – Escalator, Barcelona (2014)

02 – Correfoc, Barcelona (2011)

03 – Refugee Camp, Italy (2017)

04 – Street, Modena (2017)

05 – Rescue Ship, Mediterranean Sea (2017)

06 – Legong Dance, Bali (2013)

07 – Kathmandu, Nepal (2018)

08 – Reflection, Tokyo (2018)

09 – Cityscape, Barcelona (2013)

10 – Buildings, Amsterdam (2016)

11 – Perfection, Tokyo (2016)

12 – Skyscrapers, Amsterdam (2016)

13 – Mountains, Bergamo (2017)

14 – Mountain houses, Austria (2015)

15 – Canalside relax, Amsterdam (2016)

16 – Rescue Ship, Mediterranean Sea (2016)

17 – Camels, Lanzarote (2017)

18 – Laghi di Fusine, Italy (2015)

19 – Fishing vessel, Barcelona (2018)

20 – Bathing in Barcelona (2013)

21 – Workout in Barcelona (2013)

22 – Independence referendum aftermath, Barcelona (2017)

23 – Independence referendum aftermath, Barcelona (2017)

24 – Street scene, Kathmandu (2018)

25 – The night before Tono’s Matsuri, Japan (2018)

26 – Tibetan flags, Kathmandu (2018)

27 – Park Güell, Barcelona (2018)

28 – Winter beach in Tokyo (2016)

29 – Ventimiglia Border (2015)

30 – Reflection Barcelona (2015)

31 – Duomo, Milan (2015)

32 – God in the outskirts of Barcelona (2017)

33 – Pashupati, Nepal (2018)

34 – Still life, Lanzarote (2017)

35 – Restaurant in Tokyo (2016)

36 – Round square, Barcelona (2009)

37 – Street vendor, Istanbul (2014)

38 – Ravalejar, Barcelona (2013)

39 – Soap bubles, Amsterdam (2016)

40 – Double tree, Bergamo (2017)

41 – Manga in the subway, Tokyo (2016)

42 – The party is over, Mexico (2014)

43 – Jungle dispenser, Kamakura (2018)

44 – End of working day, Tokyo (2016)

45 – Night sky, Lampedusa (2015)

46 – Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo (2016)

47 – Pedrera, Barcelona (2016)

48 – Graciosa night, La Graciosa (2017)

49 – Kumari parade, Kathmandu (2018)

50 – The Scramble, Tokyo (2016)

Life goes on: an asylum seeker who is pregnant, is waiting for her case to be processed so she can move on from the camp in Settimo Torinese (Italy) where she is currently hosted. Here portrayed at the entrance of her tent.

The Italian Red Cross ‘Fenoglio’ camp in Settimo Torinese (Italy) seen from above.

Initially meant as a temporary camp for asylum seekers waiting to be quickly redirected to more permanent accommodations, it has become a semi-permanent accommodation where asylum seekers stay for months due to the lack of other accommodations in the area.

Honest (39, from Nigeria), here portrayed in his room in a reception centre in Bergamo (Italy), was rescued with more than other hundred migrants on a dinghy adrift in the Mediterranean sea.

“I could not se outside [the dinghy] but only up because I was lying on the floor. I was praying, crying, shouting… ‘Jeeesus’! I was not myself, I was just in spirit…

When my head calmed down [after the rescue] I looked at the sea around me and at my boat, now empty… in that moment I started crying… from that moment I believe in God!”

A woman washes her clothes in the camp where she is hosted in Settimo Torinese (Italy). This Red Cross camp, built with tents from the Italian Civil protection can host, depending on the situation, up to 500-600 people.

Alhagie (44, from Gambia) portrayed in his room at a reception centre in Messina (Italy). A former Gambian soldier, Alhagie left his country in early 2016 and reached Italy after leaving Libya on a dinghy.

“I think a lot about my family, that’s my main concern. I left a wife and four kids in Gambia and it is almost three weeks that I’m not able to speak to them”.

Italian language lesson in a reception camp in Settimo Torinese (Italy).

Language courses, together with food, accommodation and a small amount of pocket money are the basic commodities granted to asylum seekers in Italy, while they wait for as long as 2 years for their cases to be processed.

Prince (33, from Nigeria), portrayed in a reception centre for asylum seekers in Bergamo (Italy).

He fled his country to find a cure for a chest problem, and he is now undergoing a treatment in Italy. He reached Italy after having been rescued from a dinghy adrift in the Mediterranean sea. He quickly became very popular in the reception centre, as he decided to open his own bike repair workshop in the centre’s premises.

Daily activities in a reception centre in the Bergamo province (Italy).

Hosted in Vedeseta, a mountain village with a population of 215 people, this centre hosts around 35 asylum seekers who are self-managing all the basic activities of the centre: cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc.

Joy (18, from Nigeria) portrayed in a reception centre in Messina (Italy).

She lost a close friend at sea, while attempting to reach Italy on boat an inflatable dinghy with other 190 people. After drifting for 18 hours somewhere in the Mediterranean, her friend was one of the 25 people who tragically drowned in the melee when a rescue boat was sighted.

In a Catholic church in Bergamo (Italy), an asylum seeker hosted in a nearby reception centre takes a photograph.

The disposable camera he is using has been provided by local photography students who are teaching a workshop in photography in the centre as part of their final school work.

Mohammed (21, Gambia), at work at ‘Settimo Miglio’ organic farm in Settimo Torinese (Italy).

The farm employs asylum seekers and refugees hosted at the local reception camp. Mohammed has worked on the farm for five months as an intern – earning around 600 Euro a month. He is hoping that his internship will lead to full employment.

Moses (37, from Ghana) photographed in a reception centre in Messina (Italy). The scar in his face dates back to the 2 years he spent in Libya.

“They tied me after I tried to escape [from a smugglers detention centre], and they hung me up so that my legs were not reaching the ground. Then they mercilessly beat me with pipes. […]

They starve you, they attack you for so many days, so that you’ll be willing to pay a ransom for you release. Or else if they get any of their partners who is willing to buy, they sell! they sell human beings there!”.

Two asylum seekers observe the surroundings from the terrace of the local reception centre where they are hosted in Vedeseta, a mountain village in the Bergamo area (Italy).

During the 2-year wait for their international protection applications to be processed, asylum seekers in Italy are distributed according to the places available in numerous reception centres nationwide.

Those centres can be as small as the one in Vedeseta (35 guests) or huge as the one in Mineo (Sicily) that hosts up to 4,000 asylum seekers.

Mercy (30, Nigeria) in a temporary house for asylum seekers in Bergamo (Italy).

Living in this apartment with her husband Abdulai and the newly born daughter Fareeda, Mercy fled her hometown in Nigeria after her house was set on fire by enemies of her family.

On her right arm are still visible the severe burns provoked by the fire.

Asylum seekers play soccer in a reception camp in Settimo Torinese (Italy).

The vast majority of asylum seekers in Italy are male (89%), since the journey from the country of origin and through Libya is by many considered too dangerous for women.

As highlighted by a 2017 report from Amnesty international “refugees and migrants are routinely exposed in Libya […] to grave human rights violations and abuses including killings, torture, rape, kidnappings, forced labour, and arbitrary detention in cruel, inhuman and degrading conditions.”

Khurram Shahzad (33, from Pakistan) portrayed in a temporary house for asylum seekers in Modena (Italy).

A homeopathic doctor back in Pakistan, now he is employed as a seasonal worker in a factory in Modena. “I’m married and I have 2 child, 7 and 6 years old. I’d like to bring them here if my asylum request is accepted”

An asylum seeker on his phone in a reception centre in Bergamo (Italy).

Andrea Ostinelli, a social worker in the same centre says: “Having to wait as long as 2 years, I think the reason why many guys spend their days sleeping or on their phone watching music videos is the lack of personal fulfilment. You see many of them here and you can tell that their strength is missing. They miss… they are powerless. It is a pity to see people reduced to this… I think they are not fulfilled as human beings. They are not human beings here.”

Fosiyo (37, from Somalia) poses for a portrait in a temporary house for refugees in Modena (Italy).

She spent several months in an Egyptian prison after being caught at sea on her first attempt to reach Italy by boat. After being released, on her second attempt at sea she managed to reach Italy on August 2016 after sailing for 16 days on board a boat with other 340 migrants.

The Mediterranean is the most lethal migration scenario in the world: more than 15,000 deaths between January 2014 and October 2017 (source: IOM), an average of 10 people a day.

A young asylum seekers hosted in a reception centre in Formigine, near Modena (Italy), during his workout session in a nearby park.

An asylum seeker lying on his bunk bed in a reception centre in Bergamo (Italy).

Of the over 500,000 migrants who reached Italy embarking from Libya since 2014, around 270,000 thousands filed an asylum request, and as of the end of 2016 around 100,000 are waiting for a decision on their status. This volume of requests, combined with the endemic slowness of the Italian judicial system, has prolonged the waiting time to roughly 2 years.

Abass (28, Togo), portrayed in a reception centre in Bergamo (Italy) out in the patio (left) and in his room (right).

He tells that he fled his country due to political unrest that led to a violent strike in his university. In Libya he was held in a house in Saba with other migrants. There they were working without being paid and were given very scarce food.

“We, the blacks, have become like slaves in Libya”, he added.

Asylum seekers during the Muslim afternoon prayer in a reception centre in Vedeseta, in the Bergamo province (Italy).

Formerly a mountain residence for Catholic nuns, the house hosting them has been converted to reception centre only in recently.

Yakaub (23, from Mali) and his wife Fatima (20, also from Mali) portrayed inside their tent in a reception camp in Settimo Torinese (Italy).

With their first child expected in a couple of months and their asylum request still to be processed, they hope the Italian authorities will be able to provide them with a more appropriate accommodation soon.

With more than 35 millions inhabitants and a 1.9 trillion US$ GDP, Tokyo is the world’s most populous metropolitan area and largest urban economy. In its crowded streets and through its massive transportation system, a multitude of employees in dark suits commutes between the city’s suburban areas and business districts. Silent, discreet and with a strong work ethic instilled since childhood, the office workers are best known in Japan as “salarymen”. Thanks to their strict discipline and long working hours they have become one of the pillars of the country’s economy. They are Japan’s quiet army.

A salaryman reads a manga magazine during his commute on a subway train bound for central Tokyo.

Oct 27th 2017. Reactions in the streets of Barcelona, as the Catalan parliament declares Catalonia an independent republic.

Barcelona, Oct 2nd. Students and other parts of the Catalan civil society participate in a rally to condemn the violence and brutality used by the Spanish police to repress the independence referendum that took place the day before.

Oct 27th 2017. Reactions in the streets of Barcelona, as the Catalan parliament declares Catalonia an independent republic.

The Italian Red Cross ‘Fenoglio’ camp in Settimo Torinese (Italy) seen from above.

Initially meant as a temporary camp for asylum seekers waiting to be quickly redirected to more permanent accommodations, it has become a semi-permanent accommodation where asylum seekers stay for months due to the lack of other accommodations in the area.

La vita continua: Fatima (20),una richiedente asilo incinta proveniente dal Mali, attende di ottenere risposta alla sua domanda d’asilo per poter lasciare il campo di accoglienza di Settimo Torinese. Nella foto è ritratta all’ingresso della sua tenda.

Alcuni richiedenti asilo durante la preghiera mussulmana del pomeriggio in un centro di accoglienza a Vedeseta, in provincia di Bergamo.

Precedentemente usato come residenza montana da una congregazione di suore, la casa che li accoglie è stata convertita in centro per richiedenti asilo solo recentemente.

February 22nd 2017, 1PM. A rubber boat in distress is spotted a few miles off the coast of Libya.

On February 23rd 2017, at sunrise, a young migrant rescued from a rubber boat in distress observes the sea from the Aquarius.

A group of migrants, mainly from Nigeria and Ghana, rescued from a rubber boat in distress on February 22nd 2017, photographed on board the Aquarius.

Life goes on: Fatima (20), an asylum seeker from Mali who is pregnant, is waiting for her case to be processed so she can move on from the camp in Settimo Torinese (Italy) where she is currently hosted.

Honest (39, Nigeria), here portrayed in his room in a reception centre in Bergamo (Italy), was rescued with more than other hundred migrants on a dinghy adrift in the Mediterranean sea.

I could not se outside [the dinghy] but only up because I was lying on the floor. I was praying, crying, shouting… ‘Jeeesus’! I was not myself, I was just in spirit…

“When my head calmed down [after the rescue] I looked at the sea around me and at my boat, now empty… in that moment I started crying… from that moment I believe in God!”

The Italian Red Cross ‘Fenoglio’ camp in Settimo Torinese (Italy) seen from above.

Initially meant as a temporary camp for asylum seekers waiting to be quickly redirected to more permanent accommodations, it has become a semi-permanent accommodation where asylum seekers stay for months due to the lack of other accommodations in the area.

Asylum seekers during the Muslim afternoon prayer in a reception centre in Vedeseta (Italy).

Formerly a mountain residence for Catholic nuns, the house hosting them has been converted to reception centre only in recent years.

Oct 2nd 2017. The day after the vote, students hold a Catalan flag in Catalunya square during a protest against the violence and brutality used by Spanish police to impede the independence referendum.

Oct 1st 2017, Catalonia holds a referendum on its independence.

People voting in a polling station in Barcelona’s Gràcia neighborhood.

Oct 1st 2017, Catalonia holds a referendum on its independence.

The ballot says: “Do you want Catalonia to be an independent state in the form of Republic?”.

Oct 1st 2017, Catalonia holds a referendum on its independence.

The banner in St. Jaume square reads “More democracy”.

Catalonia indipendence referendum, Barcelona October 1st 2017. Pro indipendence supporters in Catalunya square.

Catalonia indipendence referendum, Barcelona October 1st 2017. Pro indipendence supporters in Catalunya square.

Oct 1st 2017, Catalonia holds a referendum on its independence.

Pro indipendence supporters in Catalunya square.

Oct 2nd 2017. The day after the vote, a protest against the violence and brutality used by Spanish police to impede the independence referendum.

Hands are raised as a symbol of non-violence.

Oct 2nd 2017. The day after the vote, students during a protest against the violence and brutality used by Spanish police to impede the independence referendum.

Some of them have their mouth shut by a red tape, a symbol of freedom of speech repression.

Oct 2nd 2017. The day after the vote, a protest against the violence and brutality used by Spanish police to impede the independence referendum.

Hands are raised as a symbol of non-violence.

On Dec 10th 2017, the Catalan president Carles Puigdemont gives a speech in the Catalan parliament in Barcelona.

In the streets surrounding the parliament expectation builds up, since he’s expected to declare Catalonia’s independence following the referendum held on Oct 1st.

After 1 hour delay due to last minute discussions with the other pro-independence parties, Puigdemont declared Catalonia’s independence but immediately put it on hold in the hope for a last minute negotiation with the central government in Madrid.

On Dec 10th 2017, the Catalan president Carles Puigdemont gives a speech in the Catalan parliament in Barcelona.

In the streets surrounding the parliament expectation builds up, since he’s expected to declare Catalonia’s independence following the referendum held on Oct 1st.

After 1 hour delay due to last minute discussions with the other pro-independence parties, Puigdemont declared Catalonia’s independence but immediately put it on hold in the hope for a last minute negotiation with the central government in Madrid.

Oct 17th 2017. Silent march with candles in Barcelona, to demand the freedom of the two Catalan separatist movement leaders jailed days before.

Oct 17th 2017. Silent march with candles in Barcelona, to demand the freedom of the two Catalan separatist movement leaders jailed days before.

Oct 17th 2017. Silent march with candles in Barcelona, to demand the freedom of the two Catalan separatist movement leaders jailed days before.

Oct 21st 2017. March in Barcelona to demand the freedom of the two Catalan separatist movement leaders jailed days before.

The march also became a protest against Spanish move from the same day to suspend Catalan autonomy.

Xavi (43, Terrassa). ‘Today, independence. Tomorrow, they will find a way to put it in place’.

Oct 27th 2017. Reactions in the streets of Barcelona, as the Catalan parliament declares Catalonia an independent republic.

Oct 27th 2017. Reactions in the streets of Barcelona, as the Catalan parliament declares Catalonia an independent republic.

Oct 27th 2017. Reactions in the streets of Barcelona, as the Catalan parliament declares Catalonia an independent republic.

Barcelona, in front of the Catalan Parliament, Nov 2nd 2017. Reactions to the imprisonment of eight members of the deposed Catalan government.

Barcelona, in front of the Catalan Parliament, Nov 2nd 2017. Reactions to the imprisonment of eight members of the deposed Catalan government.

March 3rd 2017, 2AM. After several false alarms due to scarce visibility, a wooden boat in distress is spotted by the search light of the Aquarius a few miles off the coast of Libya.

September 10th 2016. The Captain of the Aquarius chart the course of the vessel on a nautical map of Northern Africa.

March 3rd 2017, 2AM. After several false alarms due to scarce visibility, a wooden boat in distress is spotted by the search light of the Aquarius a few miles off the coast of Libya.

February 28th 2017. At night, the Aquarius’ Chief Mate scan the radar in search for boats in distress.

March 3rd 2017, 2AM. After several false alarms due to scarce visibility, a wooden boat in distress is spotted by the search light of the Aquarius a few miles off the coast of Libya.

Three of the migrants on board were in advanced state of hypothermia.

The Aquarius’ SAR Team proceeds with the rescue of the wooden boat in distress spotted just before 2AM on March 3rd 2017 a few miles off the coast of Libya.

Sep 5th 2016. In the early morning, a rubber boat in distress is spotted by the rescue vessel Aquarius a few miles off the coast of Libya.

February 22nd 2017. At sunrise, a member of SOS Méditerranée’s SAR Team scan the horizon in search for boats in distress.

February 22nd 2017, 1PM. A rubber boat in distress is found a few miles off the coast of Libya.

The Aquarius’ SAR Team proceeds with the rescue of a rubber boat in distress spotted on February 22nd 2017 a few miles off the coast of Libya.

September 11th 2016, Mediterranean Sea, a few miles off the coasts of Libya. Life jackets are distribute by the Aquarius’ SAR Team to the 120 people on board a rubber boat in distress spotted a few miles off the coast of Libya.

Sep 11th 2016. Three women on board the rescue rhib that will transfer them to the Aquarius, just after being rescued from a rubber boat in distress.

The Aquarius’ SAR Team rescues a rubber boat in distress spotted on February 22nd 2017 a few miles off the coast of Libya.

March 2nd 2017. Young men just rescued by the Aquarius’ SAR Team are on board the rhib that will take them to the Aquarius.

A rusty compass found on a rubber boat rescued on February 22nd 2017 by the Aquarius’ SAR Team.

Unlike just few months ago, smugglers don’t provide migrants with any navigations system or satellite phone for emergency calls anymore.

Abandoned to themselves at open sea, their only chance for survival is being rescued in international waters.

Sep 4th 2016, Mediterranean Sea, a few miles off the coasts of Libya, A view of the rescue vessel Aquarius, operated by the NGOs SOS Méditerranée and Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Since the beginning of its mission (February 2016) to the end of 2016 the Aquarius rescued more than 8,000 people.

September 11 2016. Migrants on board the Aquarius vessel just after the rescue operations.

A portrait of Kelvin Eguavoen (25, from Nigeria), rescued by the Aquarius’ SAR Team from a rubber boat in distress on September 11th 2016.

Sep 5th 2016. Migrants on board the rescue vessel Aquarius just after having been rescued from a rubber boat in distress.

February 22nd 2017. A Médicins Sans Frontières’ nurse helps a migrant suffering from hypothermia to reach the vessel’s clinic. Moments before he was rescued from a rubber boat in distress.

February 23rd 2017. A man, rescued from a rubber boat in distress the day before, is visited by Médicins Sans Frontières’ personnel inside the Aquarius’ clinic.
Many testimonies collected on board the Aquarius report of an increasing level of violence in Libya, often translating into abductions, extortions, torture, forced labour and rape inflicted to migrants prior their departure towards Europe.

On board the Aquarius, a portrait of a 17-year-old migrant from Libya who preferred to remain anonymous.

“My parents were killed for being supporters of Ghedaffi and then a militia came after me. So I fled.

I don’t care where I am going, I just want to stay alive,” he said.

On board the Aquarius, Zen, an 18-year-old Ghanaian, said that he was kidnapped after arriving in Libya and was told that he was being sold but could buy his freedom.

“To make sure I would get money from home, I was told they [the smugglers] had people in west Africa and I was put in touch with a Ghanaian woman who was their agent” he said.

A portrait of Anabel Montes Mier (29, from Spain), SOS Méditerranée’s Deputy Search And Rescue Coordinator on board the Aquarius.
“The fact that I didn’t stayed with my arms crossed watching this tragedy unfold makes me feel useful, but I can’t feel good. After rescuing people we spend two days on board with them… and when you hear their stories you can’t feel good,” she said.

Sep 13th 2016. On September 13th 2016, when land is first spotted from the rescue vessel Aquarius after 2 days of sailing, a group of young Nigerian women celebrate singing and dancing.

A young girl rescued on February 22nd 2017 from a rubber boat in distress plays with a phone on board the Aquarius.

Sep 13th 2016. Inside the so-called ‘shelter’, the area of the Aquarius reserved for women and children.

On February 23rd 2017, at sunrise, a young migrant observes the sea from the Aquarius.

September 13th 2016. Evening Muslim prayer on board the vessel Aquarius, the night before disembarkation in Italy.

February 22nd 2017. Migrants squeezed togheter sleep on board the Aquarius.

Due to the low winter temperatures, the Aquarius crew provides them with orange survival bags that keep their bodies warm and sheltered from the wind.

February 24th 2017. At sunrise, a group of migrants observe the coast of Trapani, Sicily, from the Aquarius. They will disembark moments after.

A group of migrants rescued by the Aquarius’ SAR Team on February 22nd 2017, photographed the day before their disembarkation in Italy.

Dec 8th 2016, Tokyo (Japan). A salaryman reads a manga magazine during his commute on a subway train bound for central Tokyo.

Dec 4th 2016, Tokyo (Japan). The Japan’s capital skyline from a train crossing a bridge over Tokyo bay.

Dec 2nd 2016, Tokyo (Japan). Salarymen inside the lounge area of a business building in Marunouchi, one of Tokyo’s most exclusive business districts.

Dec 8th 2016, Tokyo (Japan). A salaryman observe the city skyline from the top of a business building in Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s main business districts.

Dec 2nd 2016, Tokyo (Japan). A salaryman walks under a freeway bridge in Marunouchi, one of Tokyo’s most exclusive business districts.

Dec 14th 2016, Tokyo (Japan). Salarymen at work in an office building in Roppongi, Tokyo.

A salaryman (who preferred to remain anonymous) portrayed in front of a busy crossing in Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s main business districts.

Dec 10th 2016, Tokyo (Japan). In a parking lot near Tokyo’s Shibuya station, a salaryman smokes a cigarette at the end of his working day.

Dec 14th 2016, Tokyo (Japan). Daimon, one of Tokyo’s busiest business districts. During the evening rush hour, several salarymen walk under a rail bridge.

Office buildings in Daimon, one of Tokyo’s busiest business districts. The office lights are still on in the late evening.

Dec 2nd 2016, Tokyo (Japan). Two salarymen during a smoke break inside a business building in the Kachidoki area. The illuminated Tokyo tower is in the background.

Dec 10th 2016, Tokyo (Japan). A commuters’ train leaving Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s main business districts.

With more than 35 millions inhabitants and a 1.9 trillion US$ GDP, Tokyo is the world’s most populous metropolitan area and largest urban economy. The office workers are best known in Tokyo and the rest of Japan as “salarymen”.

Tokyo skyline at night from the top of a buliding in Shinjuku, one of Tokyo’s main business districts.