Leaving New York

Moving to the city attracts you with endless opportunities and makes you chase the hedonistic tastes in life. The baggage of anxiety and possible depression or could raise a narcissistic person who is willing to survive in such an environment. The exclusive dinner reservations, expensive champagnes, limited edition designer clothes is what you need to create your own heaven on earth. Climbing up the ladder in the city to fit into an elitist collective identity. These materialistic tastes come with a cost for sure, and as long as you make it to the top disregarding the values and norms is part of the game. We could use Patrick Bateman character in “American Psycho as an example of someone who is in a vicious cycle of egoism, pleasure-seeking and in the pursuit of status and reputation.

The protagonist, Alessandro Mancini, in the “Leaving New York” visual essay, directed by Francesca Riccardi and photographed by Armando Taddeo, looks like he is about to scream that he is trapped in this power struggle of urban life, once he most enjoyed. The enlightenment comes with the knowledge that ”what you have” does not mean “who you are”, which leads to him giving up the high life and the superficial addictions.

Art Direction and Photography: Armando Taddeo / armandotaddeo

Creative Direction and assistance: Francesca Riccardi / francy_riccardi

Styling: Alessandro Chelazzi / alessandro.chelazzi

Make-up: Ylenia Palluotto / yleniapalluotto

Model: Alessandro Mancini / mancini_alex

Words: Elif Ozer / elifozeerr1