KOSOVO (1999)

In 1999, the war between neighbours in the Balkans had a strong impression on me. I had just graduated from university and knew nothing about anything except that I wanted to take photographs and that I wanted to do so for a long time. I had the desire to contribute to making the world a better place and at the same time the ambition to create my own place in the world. So I left for Albania, and as soon as possible I entered Kosovo with a makeshift vehicle. That experience was certainly very hard, both positive and negative: I learnt many things, especially about myself. I was surrounded by death and destruction, everything was shrouded by an omnipresent veil of perversion. I met some great people and many jackals. The environment of journalists, war photographers and media/news was not mine. I suffered that testosteronic display mixed with the need for adrenaline and the competitive quest for the front-page scoop. The embarrassment and annoyance of being in that situation also had a lot to do with the part of me that was there to succeed and take the photo of the year. That feeling made me uncomfortable, I had to understand much better who I was and what I really wanted by trying to make my photography an adventure other than certain patterns, which I sensed were different from what I was looking for, despite all my fear and confusion. So I decided to stop with photojournalism and news and went to Silesia, where so much happened and where nothing was happening anymore.


Text by Lorenzo Castore