Italian, b. 1978; lives and works in Burundi
Identity portraits are crucial for the citizens of Gulu, Uganda, where more than half of the population has been displaced by ongoing conflict. At the Gulu Real Art Studio, photographer Obal Denis made the standardized ID pictures required for job applications and other bureaucratic forms by cutting the client's face out of a full-length portrait and discarding the remainder of the print. In January 2011, Martina Bacigalupo, a photojournalist based in East Africa, began to collect Denis's thrown-away, faceless images. They represent nurses, soldiers, farmers, teachers, businessmen, students, mothers, children, the young, and the old—a cross section of Gulu's society. However, devoid of faces, these images are completely unlike conventional portraits. Distinctions are established through pose, clothing, and self-definition, or in recurring motifs, such as the blue jacket required for bank applications. The cutouts heighten attention to gesture and detail, while the uniformity of the background provides a comparative study of a society during a specific moment of economic and political transition.
Untitled [child with blue shirt resting on mother's lap]
Untitled [man in army fatigues t-shirt and khaki shorts]
Untitled [man in black pants, white shirt and green tie]
Untitled [man in blue jacket and gray slacks]
Untitled [man in blue jacket and green pants]
Untitled [man in blue jacket and pink pants]
Untitled [man in blue jacket with brown and orange tie]
Untitled [man in blue jacket with crossed hands]
Untitled [man in blue jacket with left hand spread wide]
Untitled [man in blue jacket with light pants and hands together]
Untitled [man in blue jacket with one hand on leg]
Untitled [man in blue jacket with wedding ring]
Untitled [man in blue shirt sitting on stool]
Untitled [man in brown pants and smock and white shawl]
Untitled [man in gray jacket and red and white diamond-patterned tie]
Untitled [man in green printed shirt and green pants]
Untitled [man in khaki prison guard uniform with red sash]
Untitled [man in light green police uniform]
Untitled [man in military fatigues seated on stool]
Untitled [man in military fatigues]
Untitled [man in nicely-fitted blue jacked with hands on legs]
Untitled [man in white jacket and yellow shirt]
Untitled [man in yellow pants, green tie and white shirt]
Untitled [man with loose blue button-down shirt]
Untitled [nun in blue skirt]
Untitled [nun in long light blue dress]
Untitled [small boy in gray jacket and jean shorts]
Untitled [woman in army fatigues shirt and pink skirt]
Untitled [woman in black dress with three buttons]
Untitled [woman in black skirt and pink tights]
Untitled [woman in black skirt and white blouse with hands spread widely]
Untitled [woman in blue and green dress and purple shawl]
Untitled [woman in blue shirt, yellow skirt and painted hands]
Untitled [woman in green dress with yellow sash]
Untitled [woman in green sleeveless shirt and long black skirt]
Untitled [woman in long black skirt and printed sleeveless shirt]
Untitled [woman in long brown dress with blue and green flower patterns]
Untitled [woman in long brown-and-white patterned dress]
Untitled [woman in long dress with green, yellow and blue patterns]
Untitled [woman in long gray patterned dress and gold bracelets]
Untitled [woman in long khaki square-patterned dress]
Untitled [woman in navy skirt and striped shirt]
Untitled [woman in pink dress and white shawl holding polka-dot purse]
Untitled [woman in red polka-dot skirt and blue shawl]
Untitled [woman in red skirt and white shirt with red curved stripe]
Untitled [woman in yellow shirt and yellow flower-patterned skirt]
Untitled [woman in yellow, blue, and green dress]
Untitled [woman with wide black belt and circular brass buckle]