Magazzino Italian Art presented an interview with artist and filmmaker Luca Vitone about his career and process in creating the movie Romanistan.
Luca Vitone is known as an artist of places. Throughout his multidisciplinary career, which has incorporated painting, sculpture, photography, music, installation, and now film, he has investigated the interconnection between individuals and the locations they inhabit. In Romanistan, Vitone continues this inquiry with an in-depth investigation of the Romani people and their culture, which the artist has focused on since the 1990s. Since the Romani's initial departure from India between the 8th and 14th centuries C.E., the population has dispersed in countries throughout the globe, with robust communities on every continent. United by language, culture and widespread persecution and marginalization across location and time, Vitone’s film presents interviews with leaders in the Romani community to reflect on their culture that exists without a homeland, without an army and without borders. Vitone recreates the storied migratory route of the Romani people in reverse, from Italy to India, harkening to a trip the artist made with his family. The film’s narrative unfolds through passages of roaming landscapes captured through this journey.
Luca Vitone discussed his interest in the Romani people and how he has come to understand this culture through his research, tracing the migration route of the Roma: the language, the music, and persistent persecution and isolation from mainstream society. When discussing why he chose to make this film, Vitone also spoke on how he approached the narrative aspect of the film, how it fit into his broader artistic practice and what he hoped audiences would take away from the film.
Video by Domenico Palma.