"Contrapasso: A Haunting Visual Journey by Massimiliano Corteselli"
A thought-provoking series by photographer Massimiliano Corteselli delves into the human impact of the wildfires sweeping through the Mediterranean. Born in 1994 in Tivoli, near Rome, Corteselli studied at the Ostkreuz School of Photography in Berlin. In 2022, he received a grant from the VG Bild-Kunst/Kulturwerk Foundation to support his project "Contrapasso."
In Dante's Divine Comedy, "contrapasso" refers to the poetic justice of punishments mirroring the sins committed. Corteselli draws a parallel between this idea and the artificial wildfires in the Mediterranean caused by real estate speculation, land clearance for agriculture, and corruption. In regions where authority has weakened, fire is sometimes used as vengeance—corrupt politicians and even firefighters may intentionally ignite blazes for personal gain. Corteselli views the investigation of these fires as revealing archetypal and biblical themes, suggesting a cycle of cause and effect that echoes Dante's vision of divine punishment.
"As I explore the parallels between Dante's Inferno and the wildfires, I reinterpret these flames as a divine retribution," says Corteselli. "In today's globalized world, the link between actions and consequences isn't always clear, but it's more urgent than ever to reflect on how human actions set off destructive cycles that eventually return to haunt us."
