Photographer Luca Santini is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the project ‘CIRCUS: A noi ci bagna la pioggia e ci asciuga il vento’. To see Luca’s body of work, click on any image.
The Vassallo family is a historic circus family of the Italian scenery since the 1930s. But now as never before their “Chapiteau” is exposed to storms that can destroy it along with their history.
Last November, in Italy was passed the law that provides for the gradual overcoming of the presence of animals in circuses.
As the mother of one of the circus artists told to me in a conversation: “THE CIRCUS IS DYING BECAUSE THEY ARE KILLING US”. In her eyes there is however a fire that burns with passion. Passion that is handed down from generation to generation for their little magical world made of mobile homes, bright clothes and exotic animals, where time seems to have stopped. I was welcomed by a community of people extremely proud of what they do and of the traditions they carry out with difficulty.
And this allowed me to get closer to their culture, a bearer of smiles and joy, but also made up of situations of increasing solitude and difficulty.
All images © Luca Santini
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By Luca Santini
