A vintage typewriter stands before us like the relic of another age, an age built on trust in the printed word, on the physical gesture of writing, on the slow construction of information. Yet, in Mario Cresci's hands, the object ceases to be merely a machine. It becomes a presence.
For the 150th anniversary of Corriere della Sera, Cresci transforms the typewriter into something unexpected: a face slowly emerges from its mechanical structure, as if appearing from a dream or a distant memory. The object acquires a human identity, inviting us to look beyond the instrument and toward those who have always given journalism its true meaning.
This special cover for the Corriere Art Collection is not simply a tribute to the history of one of Italy's most influential newspapers. It is a meditation on the invisible human presence behind every page, every article, every photograph, and every printed word.
An Artist Between Photography, Design and Anthropology
Born in Chiavari in 1942 and based in Bergamo, Mario Cresci is one of the most influential figures in contemporary Italian visual culture. Throughout a career spanning more than five decades, he has consistently challenged the conventional boundaries of photography, combining conceptual research with design, anthropology, drawing and installation.
Rather than documenting reality, Cresci investigates the way images construct meaning. His work often transforms everyday objects into visual metaphors, inviting viewers to reconsider the relationship between memory, perception and identity.
This approach has made him one of Italy's most original artistic voices, with works exhibited in major museums and collections both nationally and internationally.
When Objects Become Human
The typewriter has long been one of the defining symbols of journalism. In Cresci's work, however, it becomes much more than an instrument of communication.
Its keys, levers and metal body gradually reveal the outline of a face. The machine acquires expression, almost a personality. Through this subtle transformation, Cresci reminds us that information is never anonymous.
Behind every newspaper are reporters, photographers, editors, printers, and ultimately readers. Behind every headline lies a human story.
As curator Gianluigi Colin suggests, this cover becomes a reflection on the very nature of information: behind every page there are men and women searching every day to understand reality and to give it meaning.
A Collector's Edition Between Memory and Digital Innovation
Created specifically for the celebration of the newspaper's 150th anniversary, the artwork becomes part of the growing Corriere Art Collection, where each cover bridges the worlds of contemporary art and publishing.
From Tuesday, the collector's edition of la Lettura will feature a QR code that, through the Corriere Art Collection app, unlocks the certified NFT version of the artwork, extending Cresci's reflection into the digital realm.
The project continues the dialogue between physical and virtual media, reminding us that while technologies evolve, the human act of telling stories remains unchanged.
A Portrait of Journalism
More than a celebration of an anniversary, Cresci's cover is a portrait, not of a machine, but of the people who have always animated journalism.
The face emerging from the typewriter is not a specific individual. It is every journalist, every photographer, every editor, every reader.
It is the human presence that gives voice to history.