Exhibition: 2 April–7 May 2022
Open Fridays & Saturdays 12-6pm, or by appointment 
Private View: Friday 1 April, 6–9pm
Location: Four/Four, Primary

Blue Italian is a short film by artist and filmmaker Gabriella Davies exploring Italian migration to the midlands through her late Nonno’s 8mm home videos. Using his narration alongside clips from TV and film, this piece illustrates the gap between the romanticized images of Italians in popular culture and the harsh, overlooked reality of working-class industrial migration. This film is about archiving family histories as a way to understand one’s own contemporary place in the world, and questioning what has changed when you – like your Nonno – still can’t find San Marzano tomatoes down your local corner shop.

Gabriella Davies is a multi-disciplinary, working-class, trans artist based in London & Stoke-on-Trent. Previously described as ‘a reasonable balance of swearing & insight’ and ‘chic & tacky all at the same time’, she’s a member of Babeworld, and works in a blend of video, music, photography, installation, and writing.

Blue Italian has been developed with the support of an NMG Development Programme Production Bursary awarded to Gabriella Davies and delivered in partnership with Four/Four. The Production Bursaries programme supports in the development of an ambitious and sustainable culture of production within the Midlands, by establishing relationships with project mentors and working with bursary recipients over a period of up to 9 months to develop and produce artwork to be exhibited at a partner venue.

Four/Four works to showcase and support artists through a mixed programme of exhibitions and events. Focus is placed on practices which seek to activate the space, typically through sound, video, installation and performance, but also through artist residency. The space was founded in 2018 and is currently led by Adam Grainger.

Image credit: Gabriella Davies