Overnight Generation by Italo Morales 

Overnight generation is a portrait of Saravejo and a tribute to its young citizens: A generation that had to grow up overnight, while the rest of us were asleep. 

Google Saravejo images and the second recommendation is, Saravejo War. Years now after, the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare, Saravejo's youth are starting to reshape the city. Undoubtedly this past will remain a subtle curse that follows every one that has experienced war. Italos's images are not of blame of pity, rather they show the efforts of a young people trying to change their city's climate. 

 "In Sarajevo nothing seems to ever be good enough, but nobody wants to leave. ... It must be true love, there seems to be no other explanation."

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Italo Morales - Overnight Generation published by Verlag Kettler (2013) texts by Feberico Sicurella & Haris Selmanagic

Overnight Generation looks at the youth of Sarajevo and a city on the mends after decades of war. Many of the youth appear to be in a sort of limbo. Stuck between a confusing childhood many may want to forget and being and evasive adulthood. Who do you look up to when the older generations are still struggling with their past?

I got the impression that the subjects in the book just want to live their lives. Not worry about the past, live in the now and see where tomorrow will lead. But, signs of the past are everywhere, like the bullethole covered buildings. A constant reminder of how fragile society and life overall can be. How do you ignore what’s directly in your face all the time? As headstrong as many of them may be, it would be nearly impossible to go through their lives and not be affected. The past has been engraved into their subconscious and their future will undoubtedly be affected by it. I'd love to see a follow-up project that re-examines their lives some time in the future.

I really appreciate the way Morales has chosen to present this work. Like the youths, he isn’t focused on the past. He definitely didn't ignore it, but he also didn’t give us a long winded history lesson, it would have been unnecessary. Instead, he gave us Sarajevo now and the people of tomorrow. The direction Sarajevo goes will be up to them.

Overnight Generation. Italo Morales (Venezuela).

Photographs by Italo Morales Text by Federico Sicurella, Haris Selmanagic Concept and design by Francesco Vedovato

Published by Verlag Kettler, Bonen, 2012. Edition of 600 copies. 

[Purchase: Italo Morales, Kowasa Books]

A first book by a Venezuelan photographer Italo Morales who one day found himself in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He spent the next two years regularly visiting the country, meeting people, learning, asking questions and photographing. The result is a wonderful book, Overnight Generation. The war changed the city, and shaped the present of the whole generation. Overnight Generation is about Sarajevo, its people, their choices, dreams, fears, hopes and reality. 

A hard cover photobook of a medium size. It book has a nice jacket, printed on transparent paper, with an image of a guy in a red hoodie on a black background. There are also inserts of images printed on a transparent paper. They appear throughout the book and represent an important design element which also reflects essence of the city. 

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