Dark portraits of New Romantics from 1980s Rome

Dino Ignani spent the early 1980s in many a “discoteche o video-bar" capturing the “dark” wave. From hanging out in cafés and bars with artists in Rome, he began to follow these newcomers with big barnets and kohl a-plenty to music events and club nights. He would create an ad-hoc set, and invite everyone there to have their portrait taken. The result is an enormous gallery of 400 images, mostly black and white, wonderfully random and totally intriguing. Who are these people?

I like that these young Italians were creating an image of their own, unaware that they’d later be snapped by Dino. They were dressing up, but not for the camera. Some are more David Bowie than others. There’s something of the young Kate Moss in Roma, really fresh, and Pino has a certain raffish charm.