The Psychiatric Circus In Italy
Between Theatre & Reality

Edge of Humanity Magazine

3 weeks ago

Photographer Emanuele Giacomini is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this documentary photography. From the project ‘Circus’. To see Emanuele ’s body of work, click on any photograph.

A performer waits backstage moments before entering the stage.

Performers on stage during a live performance of Psychiatric Circus.

A performer portrays a guard welcoming visitors into the fictional psychiatric institution that introduces the performance.

A performer prepares backstage moments before going on stage.

Circus is a long-term documentary project centered on the Psychiatric Circus, a contemporary circus company whose performances blur the boundaries between theatre, physical performance and the unsettling imagery of mental illness.

Rather than focusing solely on the spectacle, this project explores the invisible space surrounding it. Over time, I followed the performers not only on stage, but also behind the scenes, documenting the quiet moments before the curtain rises and after the audience has left. It is within these intimate moments that the characters dissolve, revealing the people beneath the costumes, makeup and theatrical masks.

The photographs move between fiction and reality, questioning where one ends and the other begins. The grotesque and the ordinary coexist naturally, challenging the viewer’s perception of normality and difference.

More than a visual account of a circus, Circus is a reflection on identity, performance and the fragile line that separates the roles we play from who we truly are.

An aerial performer during the live performance.

A performer emerges from a transparent water tank during one of the show’s acts.

Two performers backstage after the show.

A performer prepares inside the dressing room before the performance.

The cast gathers on stage at the end of the performance.

Emanuele Giacomini (1989) is an Italian documentary photographer and founder of Flight of Light, a project dedicated to documentary and travel photography.

Since 2012, he has developed long-term documentary projects exploring the relationship between people, culture, spirituality and identity. Through an immersive and respectful approach, he documents communities and traditions while highlighting human dignity and resilience.

He is the author of the photobooks Fenditure, Il Fiume della Luce and La Benedizione di Zo. His work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, published in national and international magazines, and is represented by the French photo agency Hans Lucas.

Through photography, he seeks to create visual narratives that foster understanding, dialogue and cultural awareness.

All images and text © Emanuele Giacomini