“Do you see that door? Miley Cyrus lives there, but I haven’t seen her in a while. When there is, you know it because of the bodyguards.’ Cornelia Street is one of those intimate spots in the heart of Greenwich Village. Past the early 20th-century brick buildings is the traffic of Sixth Avenue and beyond, the clamor of The Court, the mecca of street basketball through which NBA all-stars pass. The pungent smell of marijuana, ever since Albany legalized its use, is a constant that mixes with the smoke from carts cooking bagels and hot dogs on the sidewalks.
“Hello dude”. Despite having spent almost 40 years abroad, Piero Ribelli, professional photographer, born in 1958, hasn’t lost his Brescian accent. And don’t even catch it. “Let’s go have a beer and I’ll tell you about it and maybe take some pictures.” One Way Trigger by The Strokes is playing in the club: I recognize it and the bartender smiles in delight. “Music has always been fundamental to me,” says Ribelli, wearing an ordnance-checked shirt. I was an electrician in Brescia, but I was still a child when I bought my first camera from Vigasio. It Was Rock That Brought Me Here: 1985, A Flash of Lightning, In the early days I did everything, warehouseman, bartender, then I met a photographer and started assisting her: real hard work, still life and fashion, but it wasn’t mine. In the 90’s I started shooting on my own as a freelancer and continue till date. I like to paint people».
the rebels Next will be in Brescia on 20 July To present the exhibition of the National Photography Museum contrada del carmine decided to dedicate 15 July to 3 September In the frame of the events of Bergamo Brescia Capital of Culture 2023. Topic – Rebels 50 Main Street Revisited – The volume, published in 2012, resumes 50 Main Street, The Face of America, the result of a long journey between North American states in search of the faces that most often appear on the most common and inescapable street number 50 Main Street. Live , of every city, like Piazza Garibaldi for us.
Piero opens the volume on the table at the bar and shows a map of states crossed by a line connecting north to south, east to west: «I flew 31,000 miles and covered 16,000 miles. In keeping with my goal, at a time when society seems more divided than ever, I have chosen to focus on the one element that can unite everyone, a simple address. Incredible profiles have emerged, from twin firefighters in Pennsylvania to Ralph of the Centenary in Nebraska, from an Iraqi Christian girl in Michigan to a Puerto Rican pediatrician in Massachusetts. a modern alexis de tocqueville: “I’ve brought home disbelief, acceptance, laughter, tears and even the recipe for fried cakes” He took out his camera and concluded: “Come on, there’s a beautiful light on Cornelia Street, it’s your turn”.