"Contrapasso" by Photographer Massimiliano Corteselli

Photographer Massimiliano Corteselli explores the human element in wildfires affecting the Mediterranean region through his series 'Contrapasso'. Drawing inspiration from Dante's Inferno, he connects the notion of 'contrapasso'—where punishment mirrors the crime—to the rampant, often man-made wildfires. Various factors such as real estate speculation, land clearing, and political corruption are highlighted as contributing to these disasters. Corteselli emphasizes how understanding these causes reflects broader societal consequences, suggesting that human actions create a cycle that ultimately leads to unforeseen repercussions, showcasing the complexities of cause and effect in a globalized world.

In 'Contrapasso' I create an analogy between Dante's Inferno and the wildfires in the Mediterranean region and reinterpret them as a divine punishment. In the modern, globalised world the relation between cause and effect is not always clear. It's becoming more important than ever to think about the way our actions as human beings unleash a vicious cycle of causality, that will eventually come back to plague us.

Many of the wildfires are man-made, either due to real estate speculation, the clearing of land for agriculture or other economic reasons. In areas where formal authority has been eroded, fire is used as a form of vengeance.

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