This book represents the first extensive monograph dedicated to the work of Paolo Ventura (Milan, 1968). Having established himself in the field of artistic photography, Ventura offered a singular and absolutely original interpretation of staged photography, an art form in which photography is the final product of a creative process which, in his case, involves the preparation of scenarios and mannequins: the latter, together with real characters among which the artist himself often appears, are the protagonists of his stories.
In these three-dimensional settings Ventura recreates, and then fixes through photography, a mental space that refers to the atmosphere of “magical realism” and to the fairytale flavor of childhood, generating a deliberately surreal contrast with the depth of some topics involved (such as war, abandonment, memory, identity).
The volume offers an overall look at the artist’s fifteen years of activity, showcasing twenty-one series from 2005 to the present time, highlighting the evolution of his language which, in addition to photography, is also expressed through drawings.

Contents

The Spaces of Imagination
Walter Guadagnini

Paolo Ventura
Francine Prose

Interview with Paolo Ventura
Monica Poggi

WORKS

War Souvenir
Winter Stories
The Automaton
Iraq
Civil War
Behind the Walls
L’archivio ritrovato di V.P.
Lo zuavo scomparso
Short Stories
Via Emilia
Morte e resurrezione #1
La città bianca
Morte e resurrezione #2
Collage Eclipse
Il suonatore di trombone
Maschere
La storia del pittore
Ex voto
Grazia ricevuta
Quarantine Diary
Teatro

List of Works

Biography

Exhibition and Public Collections

Selected Bibliography