Born in Trentino (Italy) in March 1983, Alessandro Belleli is an arctic anthropologist, photographer and filmmaker with (among the others) a big weak side: a profound and systematic attraction towards the South. Coming from a middle ground, an area in between cultures, he has always been (in his opinion luckily) divided and therefore attracted by two opposite directions.

 His travels and researches began in 2001: as starting points they have an irrepressible curiosity, the obstinate anthropological belief that reality is immensely more interesting and mysterious than what one can first see or observe. In order to understand even just something of a place and of its people it is in fact necessarily to take time: stop and participate, try other ways of living.

Since his first trip, in the last 20 years he has therefore lived, studied and worked (at a rate that varies from 4 months to a few years) in various places and cities, including the "Calexican" San Diego (California, 2001 and 2024), the vibrant and effervescent Utrecht (Netherlands, 2005), the grumbling and fascinating Genoa (Italy, 2008-2010), the controlled boiling ice, a.k.a Copenhagen (Denmark, 2010-2012), the border of human survival and terrestrial life of Kangerlussuaq (Greenland, 2011), the immense tropical jungle of concrete of San Paolo (Brazil 2013-2014) and finally, the gateway to the Arctic, Tromsø (Norway, 2013-now).

As an anthropologist photographer and filmmaker, he has been working in Denmark, Western Greenland, Brazil and Northern Norway. His works have been shown and published among the others, on the National Italian TV RAI, the National Norwegian TV NRK & by the Italian Polar Institute.

He holds a bachelor in Economics with a specialization in social studies and international cooperation at the University of Trento (2007), a Master in Cultural Anthropology at the University of Genoa (2011) and a Master in Visual Anthropology of the Arctic University of Norway (2015).

From 2018 to 2022 he worked at Tvibit cultural house, an important meeting point for young people, new ideas, art, culture & creativity in Northern Norway. At Tvibit he is head of communication and works with media competence among young creatives.

From October 2022 is working on documentary film project “In love with the journey of Man” and a art idea/adventure called Blackout. From 2024 he started a film called “Couch Stories” (more news are coming),

When he is not in his studio working with the two projects, Alessandro teaches media production and storytelling at Breivang highschool in Tromsø.

Photography courtesy of Hermann Greuel.