Pelle di lava, by Chiara Indelicato, published by Palais books

Chiara Indelicato, photographer and resident of Stromboli, explores in her work life on a volcanic island, where the inhabitants live with the acute awareness of a finite world, at the mercy of the elements. Beneath the ashes, between the sea and the fire, she questions how to subsist in an environment with limited resources.

Pelle di Lava has its origins in two disasters in 2022: a fire ravaging the island’s vegetation, followed by torrential rains causing mudslides that reached the village. Through this project, Chiara Indelicato proposes a reflection on the climate emergency, asserting an animistic relationship with nature and the right to defend this living, fragile land. The right to defend this living, fragile land, for which the volcano itself becomes the spokesperson. Developing her images with coffee, vitamin C and seawater, in the absence of pollutants, she weaves an organic bond between her process and the harsh, untamable island.