‘Grande Bruto’ is an intimate, poignant and fascinating project documenting my father Leo’s recent life events. It traces the events and relationships that unfolded for Leo during the turmoil of the past 2 years. Following a series of ill-fated events, a mental breakdown and fresh out of a psychiatric hospital, Leo found himself broke, in the grip of an alcohol addiction and living with Glen, an Aussie larrikin who struggles with his own addiction problems, in a rundown house on the outskirts of Newcastle.
Despite his dire predicament, Leo fell in love and married Rosie, a sweet Zimbabwean woman who saw his faults and decided to love him anyway.
This project details their life on the margins. It’s raw, unflinching, full of humanity and often laced with humour. These intensely personal works are intended for anyone who has suffered from mental health issues, addiction or trauma and for the people that choose to love and care for them.
David Cossini is a documentary photographer and storyteller based out of Newcastle, Australia and specialising in immersive, long-form projects and portraiture. His images are evocative, often choosing subjects that are extreme, raw and at times unapologetically brutal. Instinctively drawn to outliers, he chooses to document those on the fringes of mainstream society.
Utilising a combination of his life experience, people skills and with an open mind and an open heart, Cossini’s approach is authentic, intimate and intense but ultimately humanistic. It’s full of tenderness. There is no judgement on his part, there’s no morality, he’s not glamorising it and he’s not shying away from the more difficult aspects of their lives.
Having exhibited in group shows locally and internationally, In 2001 Cossini published his third zine ‘Wasteman’ and had his first solo exhibition for his award winning project ‘Grande Bruto’ at aMBUSH Gallery in Sydney as part of the Head On Photo Festival. In 2022, Cossini was the winner of the 2021 Gomma Grant New Flavour Award and the winner of the 2022 Percival Photographic Portrait Prize.
Copyright © David Cossini, all rights reserved
