The Ugly Duckling
The human mind does not always get along with changes and what follows from them: this is why it creates natural barriers and feels discomfort in the face of situations never
experienced before. Unconsciously, we make sure to remain anchored to the starting point, in a known cone shadow that prevents you from betting on yourself.
These difficulties generate great fear, lay the foundations for a bad development of one’s self-perception and therefore prevent self-esteem. At that point we believe only in the
negative perception that the community sends us, convinced we have no value in anabsolute sense.
The identity that is attributed to us get into the part to the point that it does not matter how much you try to escape far: it follows us like a shadow.
Until the day when a doubt arises: are the others really hindering our path or are we the ones who have chosen to live at the boundaries of our potential? Who really drew the line?
The acceptance path, then, becomes a personal challenge, a rite of passage that allows you not to carry your past with you like a heavy luggage.
If you give in to fear, you end up being identified with this false image all your life; if you have the courage to face yourself, you arrive at the progressive liberation from the bonds
of alienation. Recognizing them is the first step.
Project presented in Giovane Fotografia Italiana #09 – POSSIBILE
© Giulia Vanelli
© Giulia Vanelli
© Giulia Vanelli
© Giulia Vanelli
BIO
GIULIA VANELLI
(Lucca, 1996)
Giulia Vanelli was born in Tuscany, Italy. In 2018 she spent a schooling period at Stephen F. Austin University, Texas. She got a BA in Photography at Fine Arts Academy of Florence, where she is currently teaching. In 2020 she was selected for an artistic
residency at Fabrica, the Benetton Group Communication Research Center. In 2021 she is among the main artists at Festival Diecixdieci in Gonzaga. She is currently involved with FOLIO, the international photobook Masterclass born from the collaboration between
PhMuseum and Witty Books. In her work she blends documentary narratives with intimate approaches, always starting
from personal experiences.
© Giulia Vanelli