The Cosplay. Art photographies exhibition collects some of the shots by the members of the AIFA Cosplay photographic group, which has been operating in the cosplay photography field since 2015: a roundup of portraits to testify not only the precision of costumes and accessories, but the interpretation of the characters and the spirit that animates this cultural form, still largely to be discovered.
The Origins
The word “cosplay” (“kosopure” in Japanese) was created in 1984 by reporter Takahashi Nobuyuki. In those years, in Japan, the first cosplayers were appearing: boys and girls who dressed like manga and anime characters, making them really alive with their interpretations.
The cosplay diffusion
As for Italy, the first official contest dedicated to cosplayers took place in Lucca Comics in 1997. More than twenty years have passed, and today cosplay (in Italy, in Europe, in the world) is a constantly expanding phenomenon. It has gone far beyond the boundaries of manga and anime and reached cinema, video games, role-playing games: the world of entertainment will never be the same anymore!
MUSEO DELLA CITTÀ – ALA NUOVA
