Provincial Youth retraces the places of photographer Vito Maria’s adolescence in a small town in the South of Italy. Starting from his teenage memories, he photographed the province where he lived and the elements that has remained unchanged over time. Rides, religious statues, and decaying signs are some of the faces of a past on the brink of a technological transition. By portraying these subjects, he explored the idea of no longer being part of this context while still feeling emotionally attached to it. Places assume a dual affective and repulsive value, as each photo focuses on the affection and the detachment these elements generate. Opposed to the idea of romanticising reality, the series questions the impact of small urban centres on their communities’ identity.
Before moving to Paris and Milan, Vito Maria spent his early formative years in Paestum, a small town in southern Italy in the province of Salerno. His education in a rural environment, far from big cities, inspired his depiction of the landscape and his search for unusual elements in everyday life. In contrast to his career as a photographer and creative director, where he met the artistic and underground scenes, his perspective connects the elements of the Italian province with the progressive impact of digital culture on urban transformation.