Hylonicum

Light and its residues, by Nicola Polloni

ITERATIONS

Messina

I photograph Messina from its edges, rarely from its centre. The city resists the frontal view: its true measure is the Strait, which appears in these photographs mostly sideways – a strip of distance behind kiosks, apartment blocks, and devotional figures. The sequence collects what persists at these margins: buildings closed but not abandoned, objects left behind by use, forms that weather and return. Nothing here is a landmark.

Wide Messina beach scene with umbrella, empty chairs, a standing figure, sea, and distant coastline.
Messina beach with lifeguard tower, umbrellas, bathers, the Strait, and the Calabrian coast in the background.
Person sitting alone on a sandy beach in Messina near a low concrete wall and dark rocks by the sea.
Black-and-white street scene of an elderly woman walking with a shopping trolley in front of sunlit residential façades and balconies.
Seafront terrace in Messina with two benches, a seated figure, railings, and the city across the water.
Repeated balconies and windows on a large apartment façade in Messina.
Black-and-white urban view of closely packed apartment buildings and balconies.
Black-and-white photograph of a statue of the Virgin Mary standing between apartment buildings, framed by balconies, rooftops, and hard sunlight.
Pruned plants in pots along a building façade in Messina, with arched door and shuttered window.
Villa façade behind a large white container in Messina, with stone balustrades, vegetation, and weathered walls.
Empty petrol station canopy in Messina under a cloudy sky, with fenced vegetation behind it.
Industrial street in Messina with old buildings, a tall chimney, road markings, and a speed-limit sign.
Empty industrial road in Messina with low buildings, fences, streetlights, and a cloudy sky.
Black-and-white photograph of a man working on a small boat pulled onto the shore, with the sea, mountains, and sailboats in the background.
Small boat on a Messina beach near the shoreline, with the Strait and distant hills under a cloudy sky.
Black-and-white view across the sea toward layered hills, with small boats, a rowing crew, and sunlight shimmering on the water.
Person standing near the Messina shoreline, looking towards the sea and distant coast.
Messina beach with broken debris on the sand, waves, distant shoreline, and cloudy sky.
Person sitting on a beach facing the Strait of Messina, with the Calabrian coast and mountains beyond the water.

Places and dates
Messina, 2024–2026.