Originally from Lima, Peru, Mariano Vivanco is a young, fashion photographer whose talent stems from his rich cultural heritage. Mariano regularly shoots for internationally renowned magazines and has worked with some of the most recognizable celebrities in fashion, sports, and entertainment.
Mariano has published six books. Uomini, his fifth book with the Dolce & Gabbana label, explores modern male sensuality and masculinity through traditional Greek and Roman esthetics. Beautifully published by Rizzoli, Uomini is filled with filled with internationally recognized male models in black & white and in color images and is a celebration of the grace and beauty of the male form.
Jed Root
An interview with Mariano Vivanco by Dionne Thornton
DT: How long have you been a photographer and what does photography mean to you?
MV: I’ve been a photographer since I was 16 years old, and Photography means everything to me. It is literally the reason I get out of bed in the morning…. Since London is 5 hours ahead (I live in NY) I usually have tons of emails by the time I get up!!
DT: Who – photographer or not – are your inspirations for your work and what do these individuals mean to you?
MV: Gosh, I have many, many influences and inspirations! Painters (Da Vinci, Van Gogh, Modigliani, Picasso!), early fashion photographers (Horst, Hoyningen-Huene, Steichen, Weston), music…I love music and pop culture! It really helps me visualize… especially when I am directing short films. The internet… The street is also a great source of inspiration. Look around you, listen, look up…. Stand back and every once in a while look up, you will be surprised!
DT: Men are obviously the inspiration of Uomini, but please tell us how this project came about. It’s your 5th book with D&G.
MV: I was originally commissioned to shoot photos to be part of a 20th anniversary Dolce&Gabbana book, and the designers wanted me to shoot the underwear segment of that book. I begun doing it but ended up taking many more photos, so Stefano Gabbana said in jest, “We should do a book and call it Mariano Vivanco-NUDE!” It was kind of a little joke, but he planted the seed in his, Domenico’s and my head. I shot more and more, all around the world, thus creating the UOMINI book.
DT: What of Mariano is captured in these projects?? Meaning, what aspects of yourself have knowingly or unconsciously been chronicled in the publications you’ve done with D&G??
MV: I always say there’s a large part of the photographer in his work, for me it involves my love for life, people and different cultures.
DT: Can you tell me, personally or professionally, what’s next?? What are you itching to conquer or capture???
MV: I’d love a day off, haha, no such thing. I don’t have a formula or plan, I’m just living my life day by day. I have certain ambitions and goals and most of them are personal. But I love communicating a sense of well-being and a certain happiness in an image. So if anybody feels that, than my work is done!
Mariano Vivanco as interviewed by Dionne Thornton, Director of Exhibitions & Publications for Jed Root, Inc.
