New photographic book documents free European party scene between 1997 and 2005

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Art & Culture

‘Dirty Dancing’ is being published by Klasse Wrecks and We Make It 2021 who have collaborated to showcase the work of influential Italian photographer Mattia Zoppellaro.

The new book contains photographs from Mattia’s travels in which he visited and attended events all across Europe showcasing the hedonism, freedom of expression and limitless approach to the free party movement.

As a prominent member of the movement he was afforded unique and unprecedented access to parties off the beaten track and this book features images taken at events on the outskirts of London, Milan, Barcelona, Turin, Graz, Bologna and many more.

Mattia Zoppellaro has himself described the importance of these photographs to both himself and the wider free dance movement.

“I’m not a writer, the only way to express my feelings about this project is with a snippet (almost like a photograph) of a dialogue from “The Shanghai Gesture” a 1941 movie by Jozef Von Sternberg, when Gene Tierney, describing a sleazy gambling house/brothel says: “It smells so incredibly evil! I didn’t think such a place existed except in my own imagination. It has a ghastly familiarity like a half-remembered dream. *Anything* could happen here… any moment…”

Mattia is now best known for his recent work for the likes of Rolling Stone, Fendi, Mojo, Vanity Fair, Jeep, Louboutin and El Pais Semanal amongst others.