Photomanipulation: 1st Place Winner 2024 (professional)
ENTRY DESCRIPTION
Homeostasis - Amorphea
In this project, I explore aesthetic and scientific representations of life and biodiversity, drawing on the concept of Homeostasis, which refers to the natural tendency of all living organisms to achieve relative stability. This initial version is part of a broader exploration encompassing all life kingdoms on planet Earth. Here, I create living beings within the Eukaryota subdomain known as Amorphea—essentially, the animal kingdom.
I employ the technique of collage, executed entirely by hand. I meticulously cut over 700 images using scissors, later reassembling them equally by hand. The basic elements are constituted by nude photographs taken over the years, each one unique and irreplaceable. The crafting and reassembly of these images brought to my mind the processes of cellular biology: each element, simultaneously similar and distinct, contributes to the creation of a remarkable diversity of life forms. The decision to use a wholly manual technique, embracing the possibilities offered by its inherent imperfections, pays homage to the fundamental principles of evolution and biodiversity - specifically, their emergence from an endless series of random errors and variations.
The use of preexisting photographs also recalls another fundamental characteristic of cellular life: every cell originates from a preceding one, in a process tracing back to the origins of life on Earth. This highlights the interconnectedness of all forms of life, including humans, within an ongoing and never-ending process of evolution, contamination, and transformation.
Homeostasis
Same fixity I fixate life But I overturn it.The eye investigates Scans the lines Follows the folds,Imagining new ones.The hand executes,Caresses with care,Incises,Rounds,Smooths,Erases,Adds.I fixate on forms.I fixate on lives.I lose myselfAmong arms, legs, curves, feet, and backs.I trace new paths.Eye. Hand.Hand. Mind.I createNewCellsFrom momentsPast,Lived,Loved,Hated.Clippings of life.New internal balancesFrom external stimulations.I contaminateThe bodies,Fingers pulseDissectTo assembleIn an endless weave.Solitary and connected.At the roots of life.
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AUTHOR
Graduated Professional Photographer at the Institute of Photography and Visual Arts of Padua. Over the years I developed myself by hand with a slow detector, blending figurative and performative Arts. I have exhibited my photographic works in solo and group exhibitions (selected through international competitions) in Italy, France, Hungary, Poland and Japan. Through the staging of bodies, I aim to capture personal experiences, fascinated by their perpetual metamorphosis. I predominantly work in-studio, ensuring that post-production does not compromise the expressive and compositional integrity of each shot.
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