August featured artist

Artist: Antonette Zema

Title: Minicurusso

Medium: Photograph taken in 2013

Location: Cafe 27 Deakin Ave

Artist statement

Minicurusso is the name of my late grandfather’s vineyard and farm, nestled amongst the mountains near Armo, Reggio Calabria, Italy. 

After a 40-minute walk through the rugged terrain of Calabria, we came across this lush, once thriving, garden and vineyard. The house, built 10.8.1950, still stands today Minicurusso captures so much of my story, my family’s story, a place that is at the heart of my family’s history and heritage.

This is a moment of a man, my father Mario, who returns to the place where he grew up, a place that he had not visited for more than 20 years, a place called ‘home’.  I never had the opportunity to meet my grandfather, Matteo, but the day we made the journey to Minicurusso where he would go everyday, spending endless hours working the land, I finally caught a glimpse of who he was.  Minicurusso was his great passion and pride, it was his vineyard and garden, growing vegetables, fruit and olive trees, and making wine, his greatest passion of all.  The dry stone terraced garden beds, handmade pumps to draw water from the stream saw sustainability initiatives of the past.  Minicurusso nestled amongst the landscape, the views were simply breathtaking, as the sun came up the light peered through the mountains, in the distance the cityscape of Reggio Calabria, the beautiful colours of the sea and Sicily beyond.

To me, this image captures it all, my father, my grandfather, connecting the stories and laughs of yesterday, and today, and tomorrow… culminating to a pilgrimage that took me to where it all began, a once in a lifetime moment, a moment that I’ll never forget.