Photographer and director Jess Kohl spoke to Lee Sharrock about her solo photographic exhibition with Collettivo Zero at Palzzo delle Arti in Naples.

The exhibition titled Anime Salve features intimate portraits of 5 individuals living in Scampia, a social housing prototype built in the 1970s in Naples which fell into disrepair and became a playground for Neopolitan criminal cartel the ‘Camorra’. Jess Kohl took the photographs over a period of two years, including during a residency with ShowDesk, and the mutual trust she developed with her subjects enabled her to take authentic photographs that examine gender-nonconformity in a region that has historically had a liberal attitude towards fluid sexuality.

Kohl’s photographs will form part of her first feature documentary, which continues her exploration of gender identity and the examination of the ‘femminielli, a term used in Naples to describe an effeminate man, traditionally seen as bringing good luck. Read the full interview here: https://fadmagazine.com/tag/jess-kohl/