“Cultus” is an evolving photographic project that aims to document how over time, some religious rites have evolved into real collective theatrical performances, where ritual and faith, passed down from generation to generation “clashes” with an audience of spectators that is increasingly moved by a voyeuristic and pagan spirit rather than a religious one.
In the shots presented for FotoDoc Award 2025, some moments captured in Canosa di Puglia the 19th of April 2025 during the historic “Solenne Processione della Desolata”, one of the most intense Holy Week rituals in the south of Italy that has been repeated for generations. Hooded women dressed in black chant ancient hymns passed down orally, moving silently through the old town’s streets.
