Paolo Ventura

Paolo Ventura was born in Milan in 1968. After an important career as a fashion photographer, he has dedicated himself to personal projects for many years. War Souvenir (2008) – In time of war – was published by Contraso in 2005, nominated as a finalist for the Santa Fe Prize For Photography; some images were chosen for the cover of the 2005 edition of American Photography. In wartime was born from the reworking of the author’s childhood memories: the son of a famous illustrator of children’s books, Ventura spent his summer holidays in the family house in the countryside, on the border between Tuscany and Umbria, listening to stories about the two world wars and looking at photos of relatives who had taken part in the clashes and the places where they had lived. Another important project, Winter Stories (2008), was presented in New York and exhibited at Forma in December 2008. He collaborates with important publications such as The New Yorker, Harper’s, Dea Magazin, Aperture and New York Times. He participated in the 54th edition of the Venice Biennale, at the Italian Pavilion, curated by Vittorio Sgarbi.

Paolo Ventura is a photographer who uses a particular technique to create his own images: he does not photograph reality directly but small sets reconstructed in the studio, often using recycled material. He illuminates them by expertly exploiting light, especially natural light, and photographs them. He is a true “image builder”. This technique allows us to reconstruct more or less fantastic landscapes and characters, but always on the border between dream and reality. An evocative artisanal technique at a time when digital means of reproducing many special effects, including miniatures.