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Anie Maki

The First Incarnation Is the Hardest, 2024

The first incarnation is the hardest 01
Isa by the river
The first incarnation is the hardest 02
Black cat good luck
The first incarnation is the hardest 03
Alicia, Lucia and a storm
The first incarnation is the hardest 04
Elena and Ethan rolling in the grass
The first incarnation is the hardest 05
Washing dirty laundry and roses
The first incarnation is the hardest 06
Birthday cards and love letters
The first incarnation is the hardest 07
The first incarnation is the hardest 08
Wlking on eggshells
The first incarnation is the hardest 09
Lucia through our windows
The first incarnation is the hardest 10
All cats are gray in the dark (or at night)
The first incarnation is the hardest 11
Chiara and Bruno
The first incarnation is the hardest 12
Mati and Chihiro

In an intimate, diary-like series, I portray loved ones who care for themselves and for one another. All of the subjects have struggled with mental health issues: What unites them is their self-confidence, which helped them navigate the difficult phase of early adulthood. I am interested in how each person can find their own path, and through photography, I learn from the subjects' strategies that make difficult phases of life worth living. For me, the photographic process is a form of care. There’s a special ambivalence in this process: the camera allows closeness while simultaneously creating a protective distance. It functions as a bridge between the inner and outer worlds, fostering connection without elevating vulnerability to an absolute. The entire series reveals a landscape full of emotional contrasts. It is not the absence of the storm, but a certain way of sitting alongside it. It’s not the luckiest incarnation we could have had, is it?

Biography

Anie Maki / Anna Michelotti, b. 1998 in Bolzano (IT); lives and works in Bolzano (IT). She graduated in Communication Studies from the University of Bologna and specialized in photography at Spazio Labo' Photography Centre. In 2026, Maki's work was exhibited for the Luigi Ghirri Prize at the Fotografia Europea Festival in Reggio Emilia. Furthermore, she was selected for Fresh Eyes Talents 2026 by GupMagazine. Her first book “Marinella” was published in 2024 by Lotta Books.