There’s a technology that will soon be part of our lives, yet little is known about it: humanoid robots. These devices are already present in limited contexts, such as museums (where they serve as welcome and guides) or factories. Experts, however, are betting that they will soon be in our homes as well.

This photographic project aims to portray humanoid robots not as if they were objects but, by applying portraiture techniques, to highlight their human-like qualities. When faced with those electronic eyes and those hands so sensitive they can be held just like a human one, you cannot remain indifferent. I want to convey these emotions through my shots.

The project began by involving two entities: the robotics lab at the University of Texas at Austin and the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa. I have photographed their robots using a flash to isolate them from the context and create a controlled light. Plunging them into darkness alludes to the “mystery” that still surrounds this technology, which is only just being revealed to us and whose future is still uncertain. I have then visited the Robot Museum in Istanbul, where I have collected further images. This series of photographs doesn’t end here: the goal is to photograph as many humanoids as possible.

The project also features a unique printing technique: the robot portraits are printed on aluminum using liquid silver emulsion, an ancient photographic technique used here in an innovative way. My research focuses on the relationship between images and the medium on which they are printed. I have always explored the limits of photography by hybridizing historical techniques, modern themes, and unusual materials. I have often used liquid silver emulsion on various media (wood, glass, marble, ceramic) to create a close connection with the photographs. For this project, I use aluminum to restore the materiality and brilliance of the robots. This enriches the images with an additional artistic component, clearly distancing them from the classic scientific or industrial approaches typical of robotics, and conveying a more intimate and evocative dimension.

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The series was shown for the first time at the 2025 edition of the Maker Faire in Rome. A selection of prints on large and small format are available for purchase. Contact me if interested.