Market scene in Asmara

Clara Vannucci

August 18, 2017

A trip to Asmara, the capital of Eritrea, led the Italian photographer, Clara Vannucci, to a foreign and yet – due to its colonial history – familiar country.
Clara Vannucci travelled to Asmara in February 2016. In Eritrea, Italy’s first African colony, there are still numerous traces of the culture of her homeland. This made the Italian photographer all the more interested in present-day life in the fascinating capital city.


“This picture was taken at a market in a caravanserai in Asmara. This is where the typical Eritrean spice mixture known as berbere is prepared. I was completely alone when I stepped into the room and saw the women smiling at me through a cloud of dust. I had the Leica Q with me and I was worried that the dust might get inside the camera; but that didn’t happen. In fact, the camera reproduced the colouring and the mood of the situation perfectly. It’s exactly how I saw the image with my own eyes.”

You can see further pictures by Clara Vannucci in LFI 6/2017.

Clara Vannucci+-

©Michele Fossi with Leica Q
© Michele Fossi

Born in Italy in 1985, Vannucci first studied architecture before turning to photography on the criminal law system. She did an artist’s residency at Fabrica from 2012 to 2014. In addition to her work as a photographer for international magazines and newspapers, Vannucci teaches photography to inmates at the high security prison in Milan. More

 

Market scene in Asmara

Clara Vannucci