Photobook: Brigantinas by Nicola Lo Calzo

By Tim Levy | 7 January 2026

Funeral of the victims of the Iglesias massacre,May 11, 1920. Photography from CollezioneAcquisto Vacca, Alinari. — Funeral of the victims of the Iglesias massacre, May 11, 1920. Photography from Collezione Acquisto Vacca, Alinari.

Nicola Lo Calzo (b. 1979) is an Italian photographer and PhD researcher whose work intersects architecture, heritage, and identity. Originally trained in architecture, Lo Calzo transitioned to photography to develop a practice deeply attentive to the legacies of coloniality.

He is currently immersed in a multi-year research project documenting the collective memory of the transatlantic slave trade, focusing on histories of resistance and the complexities of abolition. Based in Paris, he serves as a faculty member at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts Paris-Cergy (ENSAPC), where he teaches postcolonial perspectives in photography.

The path to the Corbeddu cave in the Lanaittovalley, Barbagia. The Lanaitto valley is a place oflocal memory associated with a popular figure oflocal “banditry” Giovanni Corbeddu Salis (Oliena1844–Orgosolo 1898), who found refuge here in acave (of the same name) after being accused ofcattle theft. His escape lasted 18 years until hewas killed by law enforcement. — The path to the Corbeddu cave in the Lanaitto valley, Barbagia. The Lanaitto valley is a place of local memory associated with a popular figure of local “banditry” Giovanni Corbeddu Salis (Oliena 1844–Orgosolo 1898), who found refuge here in a cave (of the same name) after being accused of cattle theft. His escape lasted 18 years until he was killed by law enforcement.

Brigantinas photobook

Nicola Lo Calzo’s Brigantinas (his 16th photobook) operates less like a standard photobook and more like a visual stratigraphy of Sardinian resistance. It peels back the glossy, commodified layers of the island’s image – the pristine beaches and folkloric pageantry – to reveal a rugged interior defined by political struggle and subaltern resilience.

The book’s layout creates a jarring dialogue between the past and the present, constantly interrogating who holds the power of representation. Lo Calzo juxtaposes the 'anthropometric' gaze of 19th-century police archives against the defiant, living gaze of contemporary Sardinians.

We see archival mugshots of women like Rosa and Pasqua – categorised by the state merely as 'housewives', 'servants', or 'widows' —placed in conversation with modern activists and young women donning traditional dress.

Housewives from 1899 State Archives of Nuoro, Nuoro PoliceHeadquarters Fund with modern day activists. — Photos of modern Sardinian activists (by Nicola Lo Calzo) contrasting with mugshots of 'housewives' from the 1899 State Archives of Nuoro, Nuoro Police.

This is not a costume for tourists, but an assertion of identity. This reclamation is central to the work; it takes the figure of the brigantina – often criminalised in national narratives – and recasts her as an active agent of history, moving from the margins of police files to the centre of the frame.

The landscape itself is treated as a site of conflict rather than a passive backdrop. The images traverse the physical scars left by industrial extractivism and military occupation, moving from the dust of marble quarries to the fences that enclose the commons.

Overturning of a quarry bank, Sardinia. TheSardinian mining industry remains an importantactivity in the regional economy. A 2017 study byLegambiente shows how Sardinia is experiencinga sort of year zero in regulation. The only regionin Italy, Sardinia does not earn a single euro fromconcessions. There are 303 active quarries on theisland. 492 are decommissioned. — Overturning of a quarry bank, Sardinia. The Sardinian mining industry remains an important activity in the regional economy. A 2017 study by Legambiente shows how Sardinia is experiencing a sort of year zero in regulation.
The only region in Italy, Sardinia does not earn a single euro from concessions.
There are 303 active quarries on the island. 492 are decommissioned.

The inclusion of Romano Ruju’s poetry, particularly excerpts from Su Connottu, provides a rhythmic, textual heartbeat to the images. These words bridge the gap between the peasant revolts of 1868 and modern struggles like the 2019 'Milk Revolt', illustrating a continuous lineage of opposition against dispossession.

The mountains of Aggius, Gallura. Aggius wasthe epicenter of what historians call “Gallurianbanditry”, which developed from the mid–six–teenthcentury, in the middle of the Spanish period, to themid–nineteenth century, under Savoy domination.The etymology of the term could derive fromthe word “ajus”, meaning “without right or law”,to underline the rebellious character of its originalinhabitants. — Limestone on a trailer truck, Gavoi. Damiano, student, resident of Gavoi, Gusana region.

Ultimately, Brigantinas refuses to let Sardinia be reduced to a holiday destination or a museum of ancient habits. By intertwining the protesters of the present with the ghosts of the banditi, Lo Calzo critiques the commercialisation of 'Sardiniity' – visible in the polished parades of Sant'Efisio – while simultaneously honouring the authentic, enduring spirit of autonomy. It is a profound contribution to the archive of the marginalised, proving that the 'traces of autonomous initiative' are still very much alive.

You can see more of Nicola's work on his website, or visit the L'Artiere website here.

Limestone on a trailer truck, Gavoi.Damiano, student, resident of Gavoi, Gusana region. — The mountains of Aggius, Gallura. Aggius was the epicenter of what historians call “Gallurian banditry”, which developed from the mid–16th century, to themid–19th century, under Savoy domination.
Etymology of the term could derive from the word “ajus”, meaning 'without right or law', to underline the rebellious character of its original inhabitants.

Technical aspects of Brigantinas photobook

Publisher: L'Artiere

Texts by Elisa Medde, Giangavino Pazzola, Nicola Lo Calzo.

Design: Giulia Boccarossa

Cloth Hard Cover
English / Italian

16 x 22 cm - 160 pages
116 ills. colours