New Vedute - Alternative Postcards of Italy

In New Vedute, Simon Roberts takes historic Italian tourist postcards, all of which have been written on, stamped and sent back to the UK from British tourists in Italy, and reconceptualises them for a new purpose. Framing one image within another, he uses these postcards depicting idealized views of Italy—grand historical monuments, ancient ruins, picturesque natural landscapes and holiday destinations— as backdrops upon which he then superimposes vernacular photographs, thereby playing with the way we, literally, see Italy. Roberts’ new postcards were then sent to the address marked on the original postcard along with a blank version that recipients could write on and post back. A selection of these replies are published in the book. You can view postcards from the series here and watch a flip-through video of the book here. New Vedute includes a specially commissioned essay (in English and Italian) by writer and critic Emanuele Trevi, and comes with a pack of six new postcards, blank on the reverse, which can be used by recipients of the book. Download press release here.