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Saverio Truglia’s Party People

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American politics has never been more tribal, and over the past year, Chicago photographer Saverio Truglia made it his mission to document the growing “esprit de corp” among the followers of two candidates: Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. He attended 23 of the candidates’ political rallies throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, where he approached individuals and asked if he could make their portraits. He was most often drawn to the individual who stood out from the group, but in some way defined the identity of the tribe, and yet some portraits still remain mysterious provoking more questions than they answer.

Devotion to the candidates was clear at these rallies that felt like tailgate parties before the “big game.” More often than not, the Trump tribe was decked out in head to toe Americana, while Bernie supporters were just plain quirky, showing up in unicorn suits or carrying handmade Bernie dolls.

Over the course of the summer and fall, Saverio assembled this strong portrait series that succeeds as an exploration of individual and group identity. The images are also included in a slide presentation at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles on December 8th in conjunction with the ongoing exhibition of portraits by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders called IDENTITY. The series is also published in print as Party People. It’s available for purchase here.