"The large black body of the cargo ship comes to a halt. I reflect on my love for the sea, space, and time, which have nothing to do with those of the earthbound." — Alain Tanner


The port is a liminal place, a bridge between land and sea, the journey and its return. Cruise ships open their hulls to pour out merchandise and tourists onto the docks, carrying a blend of nostalgia and muted repulsion—the residual emotions of weeks, even months, confined at sea. The port, in turn, becomes the effervescent receptacle of these energies, animated by its massive steel framework like a metal puppet in motion.

My aim was to explore the port of Genoa through a photographic study of landscapes. Here, forms and mechanisms—frozen in their massive structures—appear as if laid bare, revealing the port's skeletal essence. Paused, yet merely resting until the next dawn. These sculptural forms, softened by the Mediterranean's warm light, are captured slowly, allowing the romantic tones of the scene to echo the influences of Baroque and Renaissance painters, from Turner to Caspar David Friedrich. 

Central to my work is the representation of the sublime and its resonance. The monumental architecture of the port—its towering cranes, its intricate metal structures—projects a certain enigmatic beauty, simultaneously grand and difficult to fully comprehend, which makes it compelling to me.

Through this series, I impose the labyrinthine architecture of the Genoese port onto the canvas of Mediterranean light, incorporating the region’s distinctive color palette to create a photographic series that unveils the port’s often unseen grandeur. A blend of dreamlike portraits and contemplative scenes attempts to redefine the port’s landscapes. Every composition, texture, hue, and shadow contributes to an in-depth exploration of this space, working toward a unified, immersive experience of the port’s monumental yet quietly poetic identity.