Felicitazioni - A Sci-Fi Instagram Photo Book set in a Retrofuturistic Milan

Mixing the mysticism of Alejandro Jodorowsky and the boujie opulence of suburban Palm Springs, creative duo Mathery is launching a wittily unsettling and uber aesthetic Instagram photo book set in Milan.

Mathery is a design studio founded by New York-based duo Erika Zorzi and Matteo Sangalli. Hailing from Italy, the two use creative communication and materials to subvert the perception and rules of everyday life through film, photography, art direction and spatial design.

Having recently relocated to Italy in the aftermath of Covid, Mathery have taken upon this opportunity to blend their American experience with their Mediterranean roots, finding in nostalgic opulence and retro-futuristic design the common ground between these two worlds.

Rooted in pop culture as much as in a psychogeographical approach to spatial design, ‘Felicitazioni - A Photo Romance’ (‘Felicitations - A Photo Romance’) is a photo book that simultaneously nods to the 1960s and 1970s softcore tradition, yet it transports such a concept on a strictly contemporary scenario: Instagram.

‘Felicitazioni’ is a story about pregnancy with a witty and unpredictable plot twist. Photo courtesy of Mathery.

Released over five days in daily chapters uploaded daily on the studio’s Instagram stories, ‘Felicitazioni’ revolves around the story of a couple - impersonated by Zorzi and Sangalli themselves - who go through pregnancy. What at first looks like a candid romcom situation, soon turns into a dystopic and absurd storyline where the wife grows a third leg and the husband discovers to be pregnant too.

Inspired conceptually and aesthetically by both mid-century Sci-Fi B Movies and the eye-pleasing settings of classic American family-themed TV series like ‘Bewitched’ or ‘The Nanny’, ‘Felicitazioni’ succeeds in subverting the typical male gaze of the softcore photo books by portraying a certain genre fluidity in its witty plot.

The aesthetics of ‘Felicitaioni’ are rooted in the retro-chic opulence of Palm Springs. Photo courtesy of Mathery.

It is mostly in this update of classical narration that Mathery’s opus draws parallels with the work of director Anna Biller (‘The Love Witch’, ‘Viva’), with whom the duo also shares a penchant for adjourning retro-chic scenarios to a contemporary sensibility.

‘Felicitazioni’ confirms the duo’s taste for their trademark uber-aesthetical style reminiscent of Nadia Lee Cohen’s Californian women, Alejandro Jodorowsky’s psychedelic visions, and Duane Henson’s sculptures. However, the choice of setting the story in a 1970s Milanese mansion overlooking the Duomo and haunted by a ghost offers a new perspective on this typically American style of art direction, suggesting Italy’s potential in matters of pop culture.

‘Felicitazioni - A Photo Romance’ offers an update on classic softcore photo books by bringing an editorial project traditionally conceived for print on a digital platform. Photo courtesy of Mathery.

By transporting an editorial format traditionally conceived for print purposes onto a digital platform, Mathery prove that building bridges between the past and future of communication doesn’t necessarily mean to compromise on taste nor on creativity.

‘Felicitazioni’ streams from June 7th on Mathery’s Instagram account with a new chapter of the story uploaded every 24 hours.