Giovanna Magri

What type of printing do you prefer?

I don’t actually have a particular preference; the choice always depends on the type of project, as it helps complete the work.

I usually go with Kristal matte photographic paper, sandwiched between a Dibond panel and plexiglass, or I choose to print on Hahnemühle Fine Art.

What comes first, the idea or the fascination with the material? In other words, does the artistic/photographic project come first, or is it inspired by the techniques and particular processes that strike you?

The first step towards creating an image is the idea.

The idea is a primordial and substantial essence; it is the mind’s design, born from each individual’s knowledge. After developing a project, it is certainly very important to stay  up-to-date on new printing techniques, as they offer opportunities to enhance the image and thus create the appropriate visual impact.

Do you have any Masters you look up to and feel close to?

The reference masters range from painting, photography, philosophy…

I can mention a few:   Pontormo, Caravaggio, Francis Bacon, Julia Margaret Cameron, Lawis W. Hine, Irving Penn, Paolo Gioli, while for thought from Walter Benjamin to Maurice Merleau Ponty.

Each one, with their own personality, has contributed and continues to enrich my knowledge and becomes a source of continuous inner growth. 

His artistic production moves silently between stylistic elegance and a visceral expressiveness, two poles that, although apparently opposite, enrich each other, giving life to a poetics that is harmonious, transcendental and corporeal at the same time.

In “Study in Bronze” there are clear connections with the three versions of St. Jerome (penitent, writing and writing in Malta) painted by Caravaggio in the first decade of the 17th century, while in “The Essence of Mystery” the faded, red and screaming faces appear transfigured as in a portrait by Francis Bacon.

“Memorie D’o” is an abstract series in which dreamlike splashes of color project the viewer into a dark region of the soul, one where nightmares settle and from which we can’t wait to escape, through awakening.

I would like you to describe to us, if possible, your world, your suggestions, the genesis of your making art through photography.

Your question is very difficult and complex, although you don’t know me personally, you managed to capture some characteristic aspects of my work.

It’s always difficult to talk about oneself, because one can fall into self-referentiality. I usually leave this task to the world of criticism. 

First of all, I must say that photography is a very close part of my life, that is, it is always present both professionally and privately, in essence it is one and the same.

Thanks to photography I come to know “infinite worlds” that I could not otherwise even imagine, as it shakes me and has always involved me.

Portraiture has   long since become my main genre, through which my signature is recognized.

The psychological and sociological aspects of humanity have always captured my interest. I distance myself from traditional descriptions of the world, but I tend to adopt an approach that, in its investigation, comes before the photographic act. I tend to strip away everything I consider necessary to capture; through research, I try to fully grasp the meaning of what I intend to represent.

Words and thoughts reveal themselves through images. I strive to foster a dialogue, to leave a trace, a missing detail, as a reason to connect with those who see and appreciate the projects I undertake.

Future projects?

I’m currently finishing two new projects: one related to the lockdown and the other for an upcoming exhibition in Milan.

My Moleskine is always full of new projects, both requested and my own.