I've always thought that on our planet, people's lives unfold on parallel planes that don't always intersect. For example, I go to bed early and wake up very early, and I have no idea what the world is like at night.
The few times I go out, I'm amazed at the human diversity that inhabits the same places that belong to me during the day.
Sidewalks thronged by professionals rushing by are traversed in the evening by people who dress and move in completely different ways. An almost unbelievable human panorama, those who, by inverting their biorhythms, sleep while others live.
In this spirit, I greeted with great anticipation the announcement of the exhibition organized by Minerva Ambiente in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts of Frosinone: the students photographed, when everyone else is asleep, the Minerva Ambiente staff at work under the expert guidance of Antonio Trimani.
Their images recounted The Invisible City, the exhibition's title, inspired by Calvino, and "the silent yet essential role of those who daily safeguard the cleanliness and environmental balance of the territories of southern Lazio. For months, the students worked alongside Minerva Ambiente's operational teams in the field, capturing gestures, faces, and nocturnal atmospheres, in a continuous dialogue between the work of the sanitation workers and the beauty of the urban landscapes," Massimiliano Massimi, director of Minerva, told me.
But this alone doesn't describe the photographs. This is an exhibition of artistic photographs, but it's also a journey into a community that operates on another level parallel to our own and that, with its invisible work, makes our lives comfortable. I'd almost say it gives us well-being in the Greek sense of the term, which fades into the joy of living.
"The purpose of culture is to inspire reflection by moving people," Mayor Pierluigi Sanna, who has always held the position of Culture Minister, told us. Many artists have explored waste, but almost always, these exhibitions are designed for visitors, like Pistoletto's "Venus of the Rags."
"This exhibition is for visitors, but also for the workers who are the protagonists of all the photographs. It's a recognition of their work, with the idea of giving them pride in what they are doing individually and as a group," says Pierluigi Sanna. Much like he managed to do with the residents of the Colleferro houses, who now proudly live in the heart of Morandi's city.
Thus, the exhibition itself becomes an artistic installation where the workers, seeking themselves in the photographs, and we visitors, more simply drawn by the subjects, become unsuspecting protagonists, being photographed ourselves by journalists and curious onlookers.
Among the many images, I was captivated by the at times surreal ones by Simone Moretti, where the reflective stripes of work overalls pierced the darkness of the night and transformed the workers into nocturnal dancers. The unrecognizability of the people expressed their invisibility to our eyes, making them silent protagonists/artists of our lives.
The inauguration hall was packed, and from the comments I heard while looking at the photographs, this exhibition touched everyone's hearts. And for some visitors, it revealed precious gems, like Genazzano, which is unrivaled in its beauty, and the desire to visit them.
Exhibition curated by Antonio Trimani. Photographs by Sara Carbone, Michele Del Signore, Alessandra Flora, Luciano Fiorillo, Matteo Meleo, Simone Moretti, Gioia Onorati, and Antonio Trimani.
A new way to see the villages of Capranica Prenestina, Carpineto Romano, Colleferro, Gavignano, Genazzano, Gorga, Labico, Nemi, Rocca di Cave, and Segni.
The exhibition will be open until January 7, 2026: Palazzo Morandi - Corso Garibaldi, 22 – Colleferro
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