Christian Tagliavini
Medici would adore him!
July 19, 2024
Speechless! No words, Just Feelings!
Mr. Tagliavini you feel uncomfortable when you are identified as a photographer. Actually, the term is too general and too specific at the same time to describe your effect. Your images give me the feeling that you have visualized the keys to a written story, left for us to discover it ourselves. In this sense I would describe you as a Fictional photographer but each of us can express it differently.
Do you think that if a definition that represents you is finally found, could it ever be something that does not have the word photographer as the first or second component?
I came to photography after having previously worked in other professions that gave me the knowledge and skills for what I do today.
Photography is the means by which I can fix and show a vision that is in my mind and share it. Being active and materially creating the content of the image is an essential part of my expressive process.
I have a lot of respect for the figure of the photographer and for the great masters of this art, for this reason I was respectful of the term and did not want to attribute it to myself without merit at the beginning of my journey. Over the years I have understood that I also draw with light and therefore I am worthy of the definition, even if it only partially describes me.
The article by the Guardian: Photography: is it art? gives a catalytic answer in the question with the following argument : When Andreas Gursky photograph of Rhine II, sold for a world record price of £2.7 million last year, the debate was effectively over! How would you argue this question that for 180 years has been endlessly explored by art critics, historians, curators, artists, photographers and the public.
I think every era has its own challenges given by new media, novelty always brings questions and doubts.
Angela Darckworth professor of psychology at UPenn , at her best-seller : Grit : The Power of Passion and Perseverance , describes people with fortitude – in my opinion like you – whose iron tenacity and never-ending continuous passion is the secret of their success.
What specifically characterizes your personality that you would describe as your own grit?
Do you feel that your fans can understand the endless hours of work?
Creation is a vortex. Who pulls you out before you get lost? Have you set a point 0 beyond which you do not continue?
I think what characterizes me is dedication and constant curiosity and desire to learn.
I chose to make a slow photograph and focus on details and quality.
It gratifies me a lot when even after a while, collectors discover a new detail within the work and are struck by it.
When I saw in the newspaper “Kathimerini” the tribute to Voyages Extraordinaires I was 9 years old. I had read a lot of Verns’books and since then every story of his, is formed in my mind in the way your photos depict it.
However, I struggled for a long time to find out which heroes you were portraying and during the preparation of this interview I found that they did not represent specific ones.
Are some photos closer to a specific hero? Why did you choose Nemo and not Phileas Fogg?
Is Voyages Extraordinaires, which is your next collection, connected to any other works by Vern? ΄
I decided to create the series thinking back to my childhood memories and the fantasies and characters I imagined. I wanted to pay homage to female explorers and scientists and imagine what they would have been like on their extraordinary journeys.
I think Vern would like this work because you free him from the manipulations of his publisher who wanted him to be lighter. You present the characters with a great psychological background while on the other hand for you it is your most carefree work.
Are there other works by Vern that, if you had the time, you would implement them in your work ?
Thank you for your appreciation, it’s very nice to find feedback in a young mind.
In the images included in the various photographic series, I always try to program and plan everything, the only unexpected and surprise is given by the expression of the model that can sometimes even overturn what I had imagined and surprise me too. Every time it’s magic.
You have used the concept of Waiting in two sections:Aspettando Freud & Voyages Extraordinaires.
What does waiting mean to you? Is it joy, anxiety, a prerequisite for starting an exciting journey with prospects?
My journey is a constant wait, there are no certainties.
With each new work I try to improve myself and face new challenges but I don’t know how the public will react. I feel like a tightrope walker on a rope, or like a juggler who has to do his act well. Photography is a great teacher, it has allowed me to know a lot about others and about myself, but it has also asked a lot of me. It brings anxiety and fear but also hope and motivation.
What is the most affordable and ideal way to enjoy your photos other than in the showrooms?
I enjoyed and was very gratified to see my works exhibited in museums or festivals, accessible to all audiences. The greatest emotion is to see the expressions of people who stop and get emotional, some even get inspired.
Have you started projects that you decide not to finish, sacrificing the effort you have put in?
Do you take photos to capture simple moments like many do or do you keep the memories only in your mind?
It depends on the situation, I lived the time when photographs were on film and you carefully considered what to photograph before using up the film. Even when I started my adventure with photography I used a large format and had a maximum of 20 shots available. So in general I learned to shoot little.
In my personal life, I think the essential thing is to live in the moment and create a memory. But I admit that finding old photographs that awaken memories always has a romantic flavor.
You don’t look like those artists who wait for inspiration whenever it comes…I would say you are a hard working person and artist. Does carelessness exist in your life?
I don’t know if I have any particular talent, but I know I’m disciplined and work hard. I try to be consistent with myself and always give my best.
There are times to work and times to be frivolous, one thing does not exclude the other.
That is some great advice. Thank you for this wonderful conversation.
In the newspaper “Kathimerini” a feature on the exhibition Voyages Extraordinaires included 4 photos. My parents found all the photos from the collection and made a dossier which also included photos of Christian Tagliavini building the “sets” for the photo shoots himself.
I have seen and shown this album countless times.
No movie, no cinematic work has ever been able to bring to life in my mind any fictional character like the Voyages Extraordinaires did. Until now.
Mr. Tagliavini agreed to answer my questions, which I later realized were unacceptably huge. In retrospect, I also realized that during the same period he must have been preparing his new collection, Flora, which is presented in Berlin At CAMERA WORK GALLERY.
I am grateful and very lucky.
