Noemi Comi

Proxidium

Highly polluting and hazardous materials have been buried in recent decades in various parts of Italy. Agricultural soils, as a result of the burials, are found to be seriously contaminated with harmful substances. Some of them detected up to values of six thousand percent of the prescribed limit. Prominent among the substances found in soils is proxidium, an element that can cause irreversible damage even to humans. A recent investigation unveiled a study conducted by an anonymous Italian doctor that highlighted the severity of the damage caused by proxidium.

Proxidium is a journey between nature and science, in which disarming images open to an unknown and at times perturbing world. A pop-tinged investigation becomes a metaphor for the contradictions of our time, dealing with issues ranging from pollution-related problems to the relentless pursuit of success and popularity.
The deception is visible. It is fake news that opens up ambiguous and metaphysical scenarios placed within an indefinite time and place. The substance at the center of the research is never seen in its concreteness, while its effects are rarely glimpsed. Instead, what emerges is the personality of its researcher. He thus becomes a spokesman for the narcissism and taste for the horrific that characterize many aspects of contemporary society. Aspects that prevent a concrete attempt to resolve and advance the issues related to the Anthropocene.

Project featured in Giovane Fotografia Italiana 11 | Contaminations

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BIO

Noemi Comi
(1996)