In his photographs, Olivo Barbieri (born 1954) depicts inhabited environments in such a way that unexplored facets of reality come to light. Urban centers in China or America dominate his series, alongside locations such as the Dolomite Mountains, the Alps or Capri as well as waterfalls in Canada, Argentina and Zimbabwe. From 2003 to 2013 he photographed more than 40 cities and megacities worldwide. One of the distinctive features of his photographs is an extremely low depth of focus that creates the impression that they depict miniature models. This feeling of estrangement is further intensified by his lengthy exposures of artificial illumination. Barbieri produced his first nightlight photographs in the early 80s in Italy. Ersatz Lights presents all of the artist’s night landscapes for the first time.