The Lizard, by Gabriele Rossi

Following the exhibition devoted to the author’s reflections on the changing nature of his photographs from his first project, Itaca, to what was still a dummy in 2021, we are happy to celebrate the publication of The Lizard with him and his editors, Alex and Clint of Deadbeat Club.

Making photographs as a way of “feeling at home without being at home.” That’s how Gabriele Rossi describes the process that led to The Lizard, his new monograph with Deadbeat Club. Rossi first visited the United States in 2016 to prepare for a six-month residency that was based in New York City. He initially felt overwhelmed by the metropolis and its rhythm, which was completely unlike that of his home village on the coast of Italy. “I looked for the edge of the city, went to the shore at Rockaway, the houses, anything that could remind me of where I’m from,” Rossi says. This approach drove him to consider his definition of “home” – the place where he could ultimately feel comfortable – and to return to the U.S. twice more to explore this compulsion across more than ten states in the Midwest and West. At the same time, he was interested in responding as an outsider to the structures of classic American photography, like that of Robert Adams. When the pandemic interrupted further travel, Rossi set about thinking through the pictures that he had amassed, trying to find common forms and themes – the connections that built the story about his being away from home. His effort was to understand why he was making the pictures, and not just to present a lot of pictures “about” America. As a result, The Lizard is a strange and uncanny atlas of the familiar transformed into the unfamiliar through the vision of a stranger who’s only looking for some sort of home.

Gabriele Rossi was born in Latina in 1979. He deals mainly with architecture and landscape photography in relation to the process of continuous alteration that human being cause to space. This is the way how he has been developing a research, divided in various chapters, for approximately thirteen years. It deals with Latina, the place where he was born and where he still lives, along with Italy in general and overseas experiences: USA, India, Middle East. Among his published works: Visions and Documents, Documentary Platform Edition 2010; The Walking Mountain, Calamita/à 2016; Itaca, Yardpress 2017, The Lizard, Deadbeat Club 2023.

Established in 2011 by Clint Woodside, Deadbeat Club is an independent publisher & coffee roaster located in Los Angeles, California. Rooted in contemporary photography, their ethos on small run, limited edition publications carries into their small batch single origin, signature blend and limited release coffees. Each Deadbeat Club project is selected with the expectation of collaboration and a longstanding partnership. Working closely with photographers and artists around the world, they produce a body of work that they are proud to share with their community.