The Bronx - La Villette

When I first met Alexandra Maruri, a Bronx tour guide, during a trip to New York in 2014, we had no idea that this chance encounter would give birth to such an inspiring project. Guided by her passion for The Bronx, we roamed its streets, capturing the faces and stories of its residents. A few months later, Philippe Tourrière, director of the Bibliothèque Claude Levi-Strauss in Paris's 19th district, suggested I complement this project with a series of portraits of the inhabitants of the La Villette neighborhood. Thus, the "The Bronx-La Villette" project finally came to life. This project is much more than just a collection of photographs. It is the result of a profound human encounter and an intimate exploration of the neighborhoods that have shaped so many destinies. Each portrait tells a story, each street evokes an emotion, and each photograph bears witness to the beauty and resilience of these communities. By pre-ordering the book "The Bronx-La Villette", you become an integral part of this human adventure. You contribute to paying tribute to these once-stigmatized neighborhoods, now experiencing a renaissance. Your support will help share these authentic stories, inspiring others to discover the hidden richness behind each photograph. Join me on this photographic journey and let yourself be carried away by the story of the Bronx and La Villette. Your support is essential to bring this project to life and to amplify the voices of these often-forgotten communities. Pre-order now and become a part of this extraordinary tale. I hope these images will allow you to discover the richness and diversity of these communities, as well as the bonds that unite them despite the thousands of kilometers that separate them. The photos in this book were taken with a Pentax 6x7 film camera, developed and printed in the traditional way by myself in an artisanal manner. The photos featured in the book were scanned with an Epson scanner. ---- Until June 28th, the photos are exhibited at the Maison de l'Ile de France at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris https://www.citescope.fr/evenement/the-bronx-la-villette/ Below a few pictures from the opening On May 6th at 8pm, the book will be presented at the Maison de l'Ile de France. Who am I? I started to fall in love of with photography when I was just 4 years old. Flash forward to today, I’m still in love with photography, and I’ve been working as a full time photographer for the past twenty years. My work experience spans from press assignments and reportages to exhibitions and portraits. When I’m not taking pictures or riding a bike, I am probably teaching or drinking a tea. Eight years ago I decided to make analog photography a central part of my work, and I often get to shoot portraits or reportage assignments using my medium format camera. I’ve been living in Paris for the last twelves years and I have been working between France, Italy and USA on specific projects. My last project The Bronx-La Villette, a collection of portraits from La Villette neighborhood (Paris) and The Bronx neighborhood (NYC), has been displayed in several exhibitions both in Paris and NYC, supported by the Paris city hall and NYC local communities. My photographs have been published on international newspapers and magazines since 2002. A few articles on my previous exhibitions of The Bronx-La Villette project https://bronx.news12.com/french-photographers-work-on-display-at-bronx-draft-house-36334664 https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20160921/concourse/la-villette-the-bronx-matteo-pellegrinuzzi/ https://www.bronxhistoricaltours.com/bronx-life/archives/09-2017 https://www.travelincousins.com/travelin-the-nyc-outer-boroughs-with-elisa/may-14-2018-poe-parks-visitor-center-in-the-bronx-is-an-international-culture-arts-center https://www.heartofthebronx.com/the-bronx-traveler-blog/the-bronx-la-villette-project-exhibition-at-the-library-claude-levi-strauss-in-paris-2019 https://inchiostro.unipv.it/una-chiacchierata-con-matteo-pellegrinuzzi-fotografo-degli-incroci/