When thinking of Samoa, the collective imagination is filled with pristine beaches and lush tropical landscapes. However, its capital, Apia, often remains on the periphery of visual narratives about the Pacific. Photographer Lorenzo Catena’s project, Far Over Seas, was born from the desire to explore this lesser-known dimension.

Spending nearly two years immersed in Apia’s daily life, Catena set out to document the city with a fresh perspective, where cultural heritage intertwines with contemporary influences. Although Samoa is surrounded by the ocean and renowned for its breathtaking beaches, the artist deliberately chose to exclude the sea from most of his images. His goal was to break visual stereotypes and reveal a less expected reality.

The project’s title, Far Over Seas, is inspired by a little-known poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous Scottish writer who spent his final years in Vailima, near Apia. While Stevenson’s verses depict the island as a distant refuge, Catena’s work moves in the opposite direction: rather than offering an escape to a tropical paradise, it invites viewers to see Samoa through new eyes, rediscovering the city beyond common expectations.

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