Roma, Thomas. Sicilian Passage by Thomas Roma.

powerHouse, 2003. Introduction by Sandra S. Phillips. Afterword by Anna Roma. 1st ed., fine with protected dust jacket, as new. Thomas Roma has been awarded two Guggenheim fellowships and has had solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art and the International Center of Photography in New York. Currently (2009) Director of Photography at Columbia University, he has also taught at Yale, Fordham, Cooper Union, and the School of Visual Arts. Sicilian Passage is one of his first ten books. As stated by Mary Ellen Mark on the back of the dust jacket, "This book is a timeless view into a landscape and its people. Thomas Roma's eloquent photographs of Sicily are like beautiful poems about a land that he loves." Summary:

icilian Passage (published by d.a.p. / Scalo) is an intimate, evocative photographic monograph by American photographer Thomas Roma. The book documents a deeply personal journey back to Sicily, the ancestral homeland of his family, exploring the island’s landscape, culture, and enduring spirit.

Core Narrative and Personal Context

The book represents a departure from Roma's well-known, grit-infused documentary work of Brooklyn churches and urban life. Driven by a desire to connect with his roots, Roma traveled through the rural villages, rugged hillsides, and coastal areas of Sicily.

Rather than focusing on popular tourist destinations or ancient ruins, the narrative centers on the quiet, unvarnished realities of contemporary Sicilian life, capturing the timeless, insular qualities of an island caught between its rich past and modern encroachment.

Visual Themes and Style

• The Rural Landscape: Roma utilizes a medium- or large-format camera to capture the stark, sun-drenched topography of the Sicilian countryside, emphasizing the textures of stone walls, arid fields, and winding mountain roads.

• Intimate Portraits: The volume is anchored by formal yet tender portraits of the local inhabitants. Roma photographs farmers, tradespeople, and elderly residents in their natural environments, capturing a sense of profound dignity, resilience, and a deep-seated connection to the land.

• Sacred and Secular Rituals: The imagery explores the intersection of daily routine and religious tradition, documenting local festivals, quiet domestic scenes, and the slow, deliberate pace of village life.

Compositional Elegance

• Black-and-White Mastery: The photographs are rendered in rich, high-contrast black-and-white, a signature of Roma’s work that strips away the vibrant colors of the Mediterranean to focus entirely on light, shadow, form, and human expression.

• A Poetic Sequence: The book functions as a visual poem, avoiding heavy text or traditional journalistic reporting in favor of a fluid, atmospheric sequence of images that invites viewers to experience the passage through the artist’s own contemplative perspective.