![Self-Portrait as My Father, 2019](/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2021-11/Silvia-Rosi.jpg?itok=nltjiamH)
Self-Portrait as My Father, 2019
Silvia Rosi
Italy, b. 1992, active England
From the series Encounter, 2019
Ink-jet print
The Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl Photography Collection at LACMA and the Brooklyn Museum, purchased with funds provided by the Ralph M. Parsons Fund
In her series Encounter, Silvia Rosi reenacts images from a “lost” family album, posing as either her mother or father and including details that represent their migration from Togo to Italy. Here, Rosi poses in front of a colorful backdrop that evokes the vibrant practice of West African studio portraiture. She is dressed as her father, and each element in the scene symbolizes an aspect of his life: the suit and tie signify his status as a professional man; the set of books atop Rosi’s head indicate that he is educated (following Togo tradition); and the tomatoes that surround her represent the dramatic change in status her father experienced upon arriving in Italy, where he first worked in the fields of a farm.