Entry Title: " Nehru Nagar"
Name: Albertina d'Urso, Italy
Category: Professional, Deeper Perspective


Story: Nehru Nagar is the only slum area in Vile Parle, it lies abusivly in a ground belonging to the airport and, probably for its convenient location, near to the train station and in a subburb where a lot of jobs are offered from the large amount of construction sites, had an amazing development in the last years. "The first time I came here was in 1975 - says Veenod of Vimala Dermatological Centre - and there was just the few hundreds leprosy patients of which we were taking care, living in rudimental huts. Now it count 50000 people, coming from all over India, has electicity, paved alleys, bricks and cement houses and every kind of shops and activities." As for all the other slums in Mumbai, Nehru Nagar is planned to be demolished, but the inhabitants don't want to mouve in the popular buildings that the governament is preparing for tham. Even if Nehru Nagar is still poor and overpopulated, they consider it a nice neighborhood where they have everything they need.

Italian photographer Albertina d'Urso (Milan, 1976) studied at the ICP (International Center of Photography), at TPW (Toscana Photographic Workshops) and at the Agency VII. She is focused mainly in social issues and long term projects. Some of tham became succesful books and exhibitions: Bombayslum (2004): a work about people living in the suburbs of Mumbay that gave life to a book, published by Skirà, and an exhibition at “Libreria degli Atellani” in Milan. Lifezoom (2006): close-ups of trees printed on canvas and resembling paintings. The show took place in the beautiful "scuderie di Palazzo Ruspoli" in Rome, in "Bookshop & Caffetteria degli Atellani", in Milan and "La Tessitura-Concept Store" in Como. (Catalog published by Skirà). Spirit of Shekhawati (2008): an exhibition about this small region of India, forgotten by the economic boom. ("Cavedine Library", Trento; "Le Biciclette ristorante + Art Bar", Milan; “Bibli”, (Rome). In 2006 she participated to the "Kabul mission of the municipality of Milan", a work aimed at showing the consequences of the war in Afghanistan and the efforts of the mission ISAF 8 and the Italian NGOs to restore the situation, culminated with the "Milano-Kabul no stop" exhibition in the "Ottagono", in Arcade Vittorio Emanuele and with two collectives books that came out in 2007: "Respiro del Mondo 5 Afghanistan, Kabul", and "Km 5072, Milano-Kabul no stop". In 2007 she was selected for "Focus on Monferrato Masterclass" a project that consist in 12 young photographers, guided by Stanley Greene and Kadir van Lohuizen and assigned to document different sides of life in Piedmont and won the "Canon Young Photographers Award" with her project "Welcome to Compton", a reportage about gangs and violence in Los Angeles. In 2008 Albertina was featured in "Young Blood", the annual of Italian talents who have recived international prizes in the creative and research fields. She besides recived various recognitions at the "International Photography Awards" (2005, 2006, 2008); the “Prix de la Photographie Paris" (2006, 2008), the festival "Orvieto Fotografia" (2008), and had experiences as a photography teacher. Works and news can be seen in the website: www.albertinadurso.com.