Milan-based photographer Stefan Giftthaler documented the overwhelming number of statues throughout Italy, many of which appear in strange or mundane places. Giftthaler’s road trip around the Mediterranean country led to some interesting encounters with the statues that, as Ignant put it, could be “a tribute to Italy’s heritage — the preservation of art within the public realm, or maybe just a scattered attempt to rehome mass-produced statues.” As the artist explained to Ignant, “What is interesting to me about these statues is the fact that someone took the time to buy them and put them there.” Italy has an estimated 100,000 monuments, including statues, fountains, and archaeological remains; who are we to judge if one of them is just hanging out on a grassy island off a highway? The classical forms against modern backdrops is a fascinating sight.
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