Reality is more important than the imagination for Paolo Pellizzari. He travels the world in search of those details that sew trouble on otherwise innocuous situations. That’s his way of confronting the world, curious and greedy, and his state of mind, which he communicates through his astonishing series of amused tenderness. Seventy photographs, framed in black wood, a subtle nod to photo negatives.
You started out as a photographer working with a panoramic format. What did you like about it ?
I started late and was inspired by large-format photography but I thought that view cameras would limit by agility. So I started shooting in panoramic.
Landscapes, sporting events, the Paris Metro—you’ve traveled across the world. What is your approach ?
I started looking at the world like a circus tent, or like an opera scene with extras, a diva, notes, music and stories to tell. Events, crowds, “the human landscape” are all central to my photographs.
How did you put together the series Affinity ?
The reality of a photograph is mainly two things: the subject photographed and the spirit in which the photograph is taken. If we focus on the photographer’s state of mind, sometimes two unrelated photographs can convey very similar emotions.
So you’re saying there’s a double affinity between the viewer and the photographer. What do you expect from the viewer? Are they supposed to try to find a story? Or let themselves be carried away ?
I want to be understood by and share something with the viewer. I want to teach them something without being too ponderous. I want it to illuminate the relationship that’s created, to surprise them, and for the pleasure of sharing a photograph to become universal. That’s what I want photography to be.
What’s your role vis-à-vis your subjects? How do you experience the act of photography ?
Photographing crowds isn’t easy. Luckily, I think I manage to take photographs from very close of a stranger without disturbing anyone, because I share with him what he feels, even if as a photographer I experience that moment from “behind-the-scenes.” On the other hand, I could never be a war photographer.
Some of your photographs are reminiscent of the humor we see in Martin Parr’s work, with movement and a fascination for quirky detail. What excited you the most? Looking, shooting or discovering something you hadn’t seen before ?
One day a photographer told me, “What fascinates me most is the best photograph I haven’t yet taken.” I keep going because I believe that reality is full of surprises and that the best pictures are yet to be taken. I don’t like to have an agenda. I like to remain open to whatever happens.
Read the full interview on the French version of L’Oeil de la Photographie.
EXHIBITION
« Affinity »
Paolo Pellizzari
Young Gallery
From May 8 to June 6, 2015
Avenue Louise 75B,
1050 Brussels
Belgium
http://www.younggalleryphoto.com
