Ada Marino
© Ada Marino
This project was inspired by research into Ffotogallery’s archives, particularly images of the south Wales Valleys from The Valleys Project, and the presence of Italian migrants who opened cafés, ice cream parlours, and fish and chip shops.
Visible Repairs introduces the idea of 'The Welsh Dream,' a new take on the ideals of freedom and opportunity often linked to the 'American Dream.' While the American Dream focused on individual success, it has also led to a society with deep inequality.
Reflecting on personal history, Marino explored her father's migrant journey through his letters to Marino’s mother. He travelled from Naples to Hollywood, California in search of opportunity, but eventually settled in South Wales.
Dylan Thomas once said, "Thank GOD for the Italians, Wales wouldn't have been the same without them", highlighting how different cultures have helped shape Wales as it is today.
This project also looks at the stereotypes of Welsh women, like the figure of the 'Welsh Mam,' known for her roles in domestic service and matriarchy. This limited view has left little space for more diverse roles for women. These ideas resonate with Marino’s own background, influenced by both Welsh and Italian cultural expectations for women.
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Ada Marino is an Italian visual artist based in Wales. Working at the intersection between photography and installation, her practice focuses on past events of her subjects, their memories and traumas that re-emerge and manifest as a form of cynical surrealism. Marino’s practice analyses and interprets the contradictory forces that shape society, inviting viewers to perceive the world through a different lens exposing the intricacies of the human condition which lead to confront with uncomfortable truths, and challenging conventional notions of beauty and ugliness to provoke a reconsideration of our preconceptions.