Photographer based in London, UK and Milan, IT
Glauco Canalis, Portrait of the artist. Photo by: credit: Claudio Majorana
Tell us about yourself, what's your background?
I was born and grew up in a little town in Sicily, Piazza Armerina.
A small town that has a beautiful historical heritage (See the Mosaics in the Roman Villa)
Every time I get asked about my background, I draw back a different memory, from a moment of my life in which I had some sort of epiphany or experience that has directed my path towards an artistic career and practice
In my childhood both my father and my elder brother have nurtured a musical and visual education and influence on me.
Untitled, Sciara, 2022
On one hand my father would show me classical art books and illustrations from artists like Tiziano, Caravaggio and Raffaello whilist he would play piano or violin at home. On the other hand my brother would play all his grunge, rock, goth or metal music and I'd be spending hours looking at all the cd cover's artworks while blasting hard tunes from the hi-fi in our living room.
I guess this was the root of my relentless quest to make images.
I've been drawing since my childhood and till my early 20s, and around 16 years old I embraced photography as any kid who had myspace would do in 2006/2008.
At the same time I got deeply passionate about cinema and the French Nouvelle Vague, and this led me to study Media Arts in a fine art academy.
Untitled, Sciara, 2022
"There is a macro-topic around the majority of my work which revolves around an idea of grasping the zeitgeist of the Mediterranean Identity."
Untitled, LUCHA CANARIA - 2022
What are you currently working on and where did the inspiration for it come from?
At the moment I am working on multiple projects, two of these are documentaries focused on youth and coming of age, in two different geographical areas with two totally different cultural sets. One is looking at youth and coming of age through the scope of a fighting discipline and how this shapes the teenager's attitude to life.
Untitled, LUCHA CANARIA - 2022
The other is a long-term project I am developing around a district in Naples. Following a group of teenagers setting-up a big bonfire with stolen Christmas trees. A popular yet controversial tradition recurring every year in January. On this I believe I'm also narrating a story of a dying culture that is clashing with modern days forms of control through political and social pressure.
Untitled, Napoli, 2019 - 2022 - IL Cippo
There is a macro-topic around the majority of my work which revolves around an idea of grasping the zeitgeist of the Mediterranean Identity.
Untitled, Napoli, 2019 - 2022 - IL Cippo
In this I believe to be inspired mainly by my youth, and in these projects of youth in the Mediterranean I think I am somewhat seeking for glimpses of my childhood.
On the other hand I am writing the new script for the following of Sciara, and I am pitching mood boards to realize narrative fashion editorials.
Untitled, Sciara, 2022
Innovation does not only happen in the field of technology — it occurs everyday in a creative practice. What do you do for inspiration?
As mentioned before, my major sources of inspirations are movies and music. Attending exhibitions is definitely a deeply inspiring practice, especially when it comes to media different from photography and film.
Among the usuals though I have the luck of being surrounded by close friends who are amazingly talented artists ranging through disciplines farther from photography.
(left) Untitled, Walking on the Etna Volcano - 2021 (right) Untitled, Measuring light movement in Napoli - 2021
Our conversations are often turning into funny and crazy spirals of nonsense where logic becomes very relative, and yet between the laughs, we may come up with some ideas that some of us may later develop into an experiment or project.
One domain I am definitely interested in exploring is AI. I have already started to create a series, but I am far from mastering the medium, yet I am being very attracted to this language at the moment.
Untitled, Sigonella with a large formate camera, 2015
Describe your practice and process. Where do ideas start for you? In the studio or being in the world?
Being most of my work documentary-based, my practice is largely field research.
It starts with going out, walk around places, meet and talk to people.
In order to grasp something deeper I have to embed myself within a community or a specific circle of people. This itself is a strong practice that often takes me out of my comfort zone. Usually in this stage something unexpected happen, a spark leading the way to what will be the message, form and language of the project.
Untilted, Shooting models in Napoli, FUCT - 2021
The studio is where I dig, research and define the direction, style and language, but only comes at a later stage or in parallel to the ground work.
How do you make your work, does it start with a sketch?
I started taking photographs with a certain awareness of a language in 2010.
I bought my first analog point and shoot and set up a tumblr. Here I started to pour like a stream of consciousness the endless snapshots I would take everyday.
It became a visual reference among my friends, for any of those mad situations would be worth being on "Bruttoposto", the name of my tumblr at the time.
(left) Untitled, Exploring around East London, 2022 (right) Untitled, Shooting in Gela ,2021
From that to my current photography there has been an ever-evolving process made of different cameras, approaches and projects, from quick flashy snapshot in people's faces to meditative landscapes taken with large format cameras to portraits in medium format cameras and a tripod.
I have found my balance and refined a direction in the visual language I believe around 2014.
Unititled, Lanzarote, Canaries, 2021
With a very light medium format camera, this would allow me to have a lot of details and the possibility to take portraits and landscape photographs that could convey a sense of embracing the whole landscape, yet remaining dynamic and flexible.
For this I refuse to use tripod most of the times and I try to tweak my lenses with some tricks to give a unique layer to my images.
Untitled, Kings of Convenience, Cover Shooting - Siracusa 2020
Do you have your own studio ritual? What does that look like for you?
My ritual is usually waking up and going for a run of 7-9km, alternatively I do a workout of about 40min in my house/studio, shower and then I tune in to NTS for the breakfast show whilist having my breakfast, yogurt, fruits and cereals.
At lunch-time I try to have salads mostly, as it's less likely I'm gonna need a nap soon after.
Who are your biggest influences?
Werner Herzog is among the most influential minds I have been drawned to indeed.
I am attracted by certain styles of painting like the Macchiaioli, a pre-Impressionist movement that traversed Italy in the second 19th Century. Their color tones and the way forms and volumes are taking space in the frame are some of the elements that I find more fascinating.
Among my main references are also Caravaggio's chiaroscuro and Thomas Jones whose style of framing subjects and color palettes make him a photographer more than a painter.
Chris Cunningham, for how far it may seem from my work, today it's still one of my biggest sources of inspirations for both stills and moving image.
Untitled, Sciara, 2022
Are there books or films that are an important source of inspiration?
I watch and screengrab so many movies it would be impossible for me to pick some. Potentially any movie and book can be source of inspiration, depending on what i'm researching or I'm obsessed with in that moment.
My all time favourite movies are Fitzcarraldo and Apocalypse now. Both involving men investing their lives into obsessively pursuing a goal to the point of loosing everything. Both movies also involve sailing up a river, against its natural stream, in order to achieve the god-like endeavour.
Untitled, Sciara, 2022
One of my latest favourite readings have been:
Luigi Ghirri: Niente di Antico Sotto il Sole - Quodlibet, a book I carry with me everywhere really. A true gem, you can open at any page and read one of the many short essays by Ghirri. Deep and thoughtful observations on life, photography and the landscape.
Another book I enjoyed reading lately was Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Challenging for its old english, yet incredibly inspiring for the level of details present in the memoires of life that would be barely impossible to experience these days.
Untitled, Sciara, 2022
How will Innovate Grant contribute to your practice?
I will use the Innovate Grant to further develop my new studio and set-it up to broaden my practice towards a more experimental studio-based work.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Just do your thing and don't follow trends.
Listen to yourself, your obsessions, and turn them into the core of your own work.
Stay true to yourself.
What is the best advice you would give to other artists?
Just do your thing and don't follow trends.
Listen to yourself, your obsessions, and turn them into the core of your own work.
Stay true to yourself, even if it's not leading to immediate results. It may sound cheesy or obvious, but the best thing is to stick to your ideas and make them happen.
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