Federico Torra and nobody’s spaces

Landings belong to no-one. That’s the first thing that springs to mind every time I take the stairs to climb up to a home that is not my own. Spaces created around different lives, separated by bare square metres that only the boldest dare to clutter.  

The photographer Federico Torra’s Condomini Milanesi collection of pictures of Milanese condominiums focuses on the entrances to residential buildings in the city of Milan. A series of shots paying tribute to that particular space, shared by the private inhabitants and the people on the street.  

In Milan, the great main doors fend off the most inquisitive glances. You may well have passed many of them by, and paid them no heed, in the district you tend to walk through. Then, one morning, at a different time than usual, you suddenly notice that one of them has been thrown open. Then, no matter how late you may be, you will crane your neck as far as you can just to catch a glimpse inside.   

Nature is the only thing that has no qualms about invading the spaces into which we tiptoe. This is precisely how I imagine Federico as he clicks his shutter: as delicately as possible.   

His work focuses on urban architecture and on the urban landscape. His perfectly balanced shots are compositions of memories. Images illuminated by an extraordinarily clear light, devoid of shadows, illustrating the order and immobility of a space marked by time and by people.