The Story Of…

Marco Muia

A wide shot of a cavernous, ornate hall, characterized by warm-toned stone block walls and a high arched window with a hanging spherical lantern on the left. Tall, dark gridded windows are visible beyond. In the foreground, on dark metal benches, a man in a white shirt and tie sits, holding an open newspaper, as a woman rests her head on his lap. To their right, another individual is stretched out and sleeping on a bench, covered by a coat, with a striking beam of golden light illuminating the person and the polished floor.

The Story Of… (2025) is a series of tableaus recreating old family stories. Each story has survived the oral tradition - shaped over time, and retold around the kitchen table. In an unfamiliar country, my grandparents often found themselves in unexpected situations that would come to define their character.

These images are my way of connecting with them, through being. The characters in the scenes are played by those closest to me, standing in for the people I needed to know. Through this work, I felt as if my grandparents came into focus, not as figures of authority and wisdom, but as scared 20-something-year-olds living in a new land that didn’t understand them.

This project was made in honour of Asunta, Maria, Riccardo, and Rocco, and to preserve their stories - the ones that make up the most important parts of myself. These stories too will be gone with those who carry them, unless they are retold and shared. I want future generations of my family to understand the people who put them here - those who risked everything to give us something better, and their relentless compassion in spite of hardship.

    About The Artist

    A grainy black and white headshot shows a young man with dark, tousled hair and a short beard, wearing an open light-colored jacket over a thermal shirt. He looks straight ahead with a serious expression, with dramatic chiaroscuro lighting illuminating the right side of his face and body, contrasting sharply with the deep shadows on his left side and the dark background.

    Marco Muia

    Marco Muia is a photographer and producer whose lens-based work aims to share his view of the world through the stories of others. Based in Toronto, Canada, Marco frequently explores topics such as family, politics, and identity. He uses a documentary approach to create projects that explore the issues of today at street level. He also frequently works with analog and archival materials, using physical mediums to reinforce connecting manually, and slowly, with each image.

    Marco has also developed a freelance practice specializing in music-industry media services. Through photography and video production, Marco integrates his education and art background to build conceptual ideas within commercial projects such as music videos, album covers, and press campaigns.

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