They don't look like me
2 hours ago
- #cosplay
- #identity transformation
- #photography exhibition
- Cosplay is a modern form of identity transformation through costume and play, rooted in historical practices like theatre and festivals.
- Originating in Japan in the early 1980s from anime and manga culture, cosplay has become a global phenomenon.
- Practitioners often lead intense online lives, treating cosplay as a parallel existence, focusing on visibility and sharing via social media.
- The project "THEY DON’T LOOK LIKE ME" by Niccolò Rastrelli explores cosplay's worldwide spread, including chapters like Kenyota.
- Cosplay allows individuals to escape stereotypical beauty standards and explore new identities through fictional characters, aiding self-understanding.
- Inspired by 1970s photography, portraits depict cosplayers as rock stars with their families, highlighting contrasts between social and individual identities.
- The work is featured in the Cortona On The Move 2024 exhibition, emphasizing generational and metaphorical dichotomies.