19 × 26 cm, 160 p, ills. color, hardcover with dustjacket
ISBN 9789083438443
design and edit: Jurgen Maelfeyt
I met Rebecca during one of the final evenings of the Miss Italia Lombardia regional tour. I was looking for a young girl who was not necessarily a professional model but who pursued the dream of becoming one. That night, Rebecca stood out by winning first place in the pre-finals regional stage. Proudly, she stepped onto the podium wearing the crown. She had just turned 18, the eligible age to participate. However, her journey ended a few weeks later: she did not pass the final casting before the Finale. If there’s one thing that struck me about her, it’s definitely her perseverance. Her face reveals a constant struggle between ambition, desire, and fatigue. As a former model, I could recognize that determination. That night, I wondered: Will she fit into the system? Will she be accepted?
Carla Rossi is a Paris and Milan-based photographer. Rossi received her Bachelor in Fine Arts at the Academy of Brera in Milan and her master’s degree in Photography at Ecal, Switzerland.
Rossi primarily works with digital photography, employing creative image manipulation techniques to create hybrid visuals. Her artistic practice is influenced by the interplay between the cybernetic and the physical, exploring the emergence of new realities and aesthetics in the context of society’s pervasive digitalization. By blurring the boundaries between the physical and digital realms, Rossi presents a fluid and dynamic beauty that challenges the standardized notions of reality. Moreover, her work delves into the mediation of technology on online identities, shedding light on how mass media and popular social media culture shape the fantasies and desires of the digital generation, enabling them to fully design their digital existence.