The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars
2024
The Darker the Night, the Brighter the Stars is an ode to youth growing up in difficult environments. It explores the youth culture of the Neapolitan district of Torretta, through the Cippo di Sant’Antonio, a traditional bonfire ritual: groups of hooded children aged between 6 and 16 roam the streets stealing Christmas trees and other objects, keeping the loot within their territories in secret hiding places and fighting with gangs from rival districts, right up to the day of the bonfire.
Derived from a pagan custom that celebrated the end of winter and marked the transition to the New Year, this ritual has become a dangerous game that crudely disguises the clichés of systemic crime and territorial behaviour typical of south Italy.
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About the artist
Born in 1990, Glauco Canalis is an Italian documentary photographer living in Milan and London. Originally from a small town of rural Sicily, he has built his identity and visual aesthetic at the heart of the Mediterranean culture. His work explores notions of landscape and identity through the prism of his core theme, youth.