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?
First the artistic/photographic project is born, the printing techniques are a complement to the work for the result I want to achieve.
Do you have any Masters you look up to and feel close to?
I’m self-taught, and the comparisons made to my work have almost always been opportunities for further exploration. Among the many, I remember: Franco Fontana, Escher, Mondrian. More than being inspired by any particular artist, I’m sometimes struck by new visions, capable of bringing to life some of my latent themes.
In his architectural shots the viewer is faced with “non-places”, images that could be two-dimensional loops that look, characterised by a divergent gaze, with one eye on Escher and the other towards Glitch Art.
Elegant and silent images that distance themselves from reality, becoming Patterns.
My urban patterns were the first field of unconscious experimentation with my aptitude for creating abstract images, because they allow me to express my creativity and convey to the viewer something beyond the emotion triggered by a clear image. In fact, abstraction offers the next stage of imagination and interpretation, making the objectivity of conventional reality subjective. I apply abstraction not only to architecture. The Fantascape aerial photography project is a clear demonstration of this.
What does repetition mean to you?
Repetition in itself has no particular meaning, except as a tool to obtain a certain effect, aligned with the feeling.
Future projects?
I’d like to focus more on thematic photography that focuses on social issues. This is rarely present in my work today, but it could contribute to improving today’s lifestyle.
Biography
Stefano Degli Esposti
Artist-Photographer
Stefano Degli Esposti was born in Casalecchio di Reno (BO) on 14/07/1958, resident in Sasso Marconi (BO).
EXHIBITIONS
October 2015: Group charity exhibition “A Shot for Life” in Bologna.
March 2016: presentation of my works at the National Museum of Photography in Brescia.
September 2016: solo exhibition at the San Biagio Therapy Center in Casalecchio di Reno (Bologna), concluded in January 2017.
March 2017: participation together with 3 other artists at the MIA Photo Fair in Milan with the Made4Art gallery of Milan, curated by Gigliola Foschi.
April 2017: personal exhibition at the Gonzaga museum at the Rocca in the municipality of Novellara (RE) from 9 April to 7 May, curated by Francesca Baboni and Stefano Taddei.
May 2017: two-person exhibition at the Vergato Arte event, near Vergato (BO).
May 2017: personal exhibition at the Casa di Khaoula Library in Bologna.
September 2017: exhibition at the international event “Arte a Palazzo”, organized by the Farini Gallery in Bologna.
May 2108: participation in the 13th edition of the Photo Festival in Milan, with a personal exhibition curated and organized by the Made4Art gallery in Milan, entitled “Identicity”, which was followed by a press review of around fifty newspapers.
March 2019: shared exhibition “Urban Relations” at the MBN Art gallery in Reggio Emilia, curated by Francesca Baboni and Stefano Taddei, with works from the “Citypatterns” and “Harpatecture” projects.
May 2019: participation in the 14th edition of Photo Festival in Milan, with the “Fantascape” project for an exhibition shared with 3 other artists, curated and organized by the Made4Art gallery in Milan.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
February 2017: winner of the “Arcipelago” photography competition in Valsamoggia (BO), with the work “Pink Frame”. This and two other works presented were included in the event catalogue.
March 2017: winner in the “Abstract” category, with the work “Oleo”, in the photography competition organized by the “Calcutta Journalists Club”.
March 2017: winner of the first prize for photography in the “Premio De Marchi 2017” art competition organized by the De Marchi gallery in Bologna.
June 2017: participation in the 2017 edition of Combat Prize (Livorno), with recommendation by the jury for the work “Windowntown”, included in the event catalogue.
March 2018: winner of the first prize for photography in the “Premio De Marchi 2018” art competition organized by the De Marchi gallery in Bologna.
June 2018: bronze medal in the Nature category at PX3 2018 – Paris Photo Prix de la Photographie, with the project “Fantascape”.
September 2019: three Honorable Mentions at IPA 2019 – International Photography Awards, with the Fantascape project in the Nature/Aerial category and the two single works Highways in the Architecture/Buildings category and Towndown in the Special/Special Effects category
February 2020: two awards at the “10 th Cityscapes” contest by LightSpace Time with the works Bottom-Up (Special Merit) and Morning Glory (Special Recognition)
March 2020: an award in the “11th Abstracts” contest by LightSpace Time with the work “Pink Harp” (Special Merit)
September 2020: two awards at the “4th Patterns” contest by LightSpace Time with the works “Candies” (7th place) and “Highways” (special recognition)
September 2020: four awards at the PX3 – Paris Photo Prix de la Photographie: gold medal for the “Minhattan” series and silver medal for the work “Infinity” in the Fine Art/Architecture category, silver medal for the “Sky Poetry” series in the Nature/Sky category, honorable mention for the work “Towndown” in the Special Effects/Special category.
October 2020: recognition in the “10th Landscapes” contest by LightSpace Time with the work: “Horseshoe Bend”
October 2020: an Honorable Mention at IPA 2020 – International Photography Awards, with the work “Infinity”
November 2020: six awards at the Spider Awards 2020: sixth place for the work “Infinity”, honorable mention for the work “Urban Texture”, nomination for the work “Steel Leaf”, in the Abstract category; seventh place for the work “The Girls” and nomination for the work “Between nothingness and eternity” in the People category; nomination for the work “In the tube” in the Silhouette category.
PUBLICATIONS
October 2016: article presenting my works in the periodical “Art Journal”.
January 2017: publication of the work “Once Upon a Time” of the “Citypatterns” project in the “Great Photographers” column of 12/1/2017 selected by Panorama online for the presentation of the 2017 edition of MIA Photo Fair in Milan.
May 2017: publication by Panorama Online of a series of 9 of my works from the “Citypatterns” project in the “Foto Più Belle” column on 10/5/2017.
June 2017: selected by the photography group on FB WePhoto for the 2017 edition of the photo book of the Minimal series, with the inclusion of 10 works, together with 9 other international artists.
September 2017: publication of 9 works from the “Fantascape” project in the Portfolio column of issue 68 of Gente di Fotografia, with review by Sergio Labate.
April 2108: The work “Windowntown Remake” selected for the official poster of the 13th edition of Photo Festival in Milan.
PUBLISHING
December 2018: start of collaboration with the art blog “ArteVitae” as editor for the “Photographic Travel” column, dedicated to travel stories accompanied by photographs.