Eleonora Agostini: Study on Waitressing

In her series A Study on Waitressing, Italian photographer Eleonora Agostini examines the gestures of work and care within the hospitality industry. The central subject of the project is the photographer's mother, who has spent many years working as a waitress for years in the family’s restaurant.

Years of work and physical exertion leave their mark on the body. Repetitive movements and habituated postures infiltrate even the most ordinary, intimate moments. The images and collages—composed of the artist’s own photographs, family archive images, and textbook illustrations— reveal the intersections between personal and social roles, presenting them with a multi-layered and sensitive irony. The figure of the waitress can also be viewed as a metaphor for the cultural parallel between service and motherhood. The restaurant, understood as a stage, becomes a space for reflecting on the various layers of social interaction and the fluid boundary between reality and performance.

The exhibition at PaperLab Gallery focuses on the photobook published by Witty Books in 2022. It features images that were not included in the publication but are still crucial to the project's development. The installation evokes the wall of the artist’s studio, providing insight into the editing process.

Eleonora Agostini was born in Italy in 1991. She graduated in photography from the Royal College of Art in London. Her work has been exhibited in international institutions, including FOAM Amsterdam, the Venice Biennale, South London Gallery, and MAR Ravenna. She has also participated in exhibitions such as Fotografia Europea and Circulation(s), as well as the Futures Photography 2021 program. Her series A Study on Waitressing was selected for FOAM Talent 2024, and the accompanying book was listed among LensCulture’s Best Photobooks of 2024.

Anna Kereszty