Sergio Attanasio
YEAR ZERO
Sergio Attanasio (Catania, 1994) is a documentary photographer. After completing his studies in Political Science and Euro-Mediterranean Relations he joined CESURA photography collective, where he worked for nearly four years as studio assistant and assistant photographer. He later joined Divergence Images collective. After documenting the COVID-19 pandemic in Sicily, he worked on photo reports in Lebanon, Syria, Moldova, and Colombia. His work has been published by El País, The New Arab, Al-Jazeera, Wired ME, Libération, and L’Espresso, among others. His interests include history, armed conflicts, Europe, and the SWANA region. He is currently based in Damascus, Syria.
Sergio Attanasio "Year Zero"
Subscribe and read about photography! This will help us to produce more quality material exclusively for our subscribers!
By clicking on the button, you consent to the processing of your personal data
Year Zero
Nearly two years after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Syria confronts itself. Beyond decades of European influence, sixty years of military dictatorship under the banner of pan-Arab politics, and thirteen years of civil war, the country enters an uncertain “year zero,” where old structures have collapsed and new ones struggle to take shape.Beyond decades of European influence, sixty years of military dictatorship under the banner of pan-Arab politics, and thirteen years of civil war, the country enters an uncertain “year zero,” where old structures have collapsed and new ones struggle to take shape.
Nearly two years after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Syria confronts itself. Beyond decades of European influence, sixty years of military dictatorship under the banner of pan-Arab politics, and thirteen years of civil war, the country enters an uncertain “year zero,” where old structures have collapsed and new ones struggle to take shape.Beyond decades of European influence, sixty years of military dictatorship under the banner of pan-Arab politics, and thirteen years of civil war, the country enters an uncertain “year zero,” where old structures have collapsed and new ones struggle to take shape.
"Syria remains suspended between devastation and reinvention, moving through instability while new forms of life gradually emerge".
This work moves through a Syria in transition. In Maaloula, the Feast of the Holy Cross is celebrated in reduced form, shaped by lingering fears of possible ISIS attacks. In Damascus, marches after Friday prayers at the Umayyad Mosque reclaim public space after years of repression, while a large protest against a proposed Israeli law introducing the death penalty for Palestinians accused of murder culminates in an attempt to raise Palestinian flags on the embassies of the United States and the United Arab Emirates. In the Christian neighborhood of Bab Touma, Easter Sunday celebrations reflect the broader climate of tolerance promoted by the new government, often accused of still maintaining ties with radical Sunni Islam. In Yarmouk, families are slowly returning to a neighborhood deeply marked by war, where Eid al-Adha celebrations become a moment of collective gathering amid the visible remains of destruction. In Al-Tadamon, ceremonies commemorate civilians killed and buried in mass graves during the years of repression, while the first court hearing against Atef Najib, a former security official of Assad's regime, marks a fragile step toward transitional justice.
Elsewhere, reconstruction and memory increasingly shape everyday life. In Aleppo, the gradual restoration of the historic souk, severely damaged during the civil war, reflects efforts to rebuild not only physical structures but also social and economic landmarks. Across the Euphrates, damaged bridges continue to force communities onto makeshift rafts and small boats, tracing routes born of necessity. At the same time, demining operations carried out by the British NGOs MAG and The HALO Trust seek to make territories contaminated by explosive remnants of war accessible again, a necessary condition for the return of communities and the revival of everyday life. Across cities and peripheries, informal economies expand, institutions attempt to reorganize, and acts of revenge unfold alongside fragile efforts at reconciliation.
Minorities, shifting centers of power, and the redefinition of Syria’s social fabric now stand at the core of the country’s uncertain future. Like parts of Europe after the Second World War, Syria remains suspended between devastation and reinvention, moving through instability while new forms of life gradually emerge.
Minorities, shifting centers of power, and the redefinition of Syria’s social fabric now stand at the core of the country’s uncertain future. Like parts of Europe after the Second World War, Syria remains suspended between devastation and reinvention, moving through instability while new forms of life gradually emerge.