Both photographers are Italians. They have operated as a unique photographic duo since their first Moscow adventure, in 1991. Alessandro Albert lives in Turin where he teaches in an Art centre while Paolo Verzone, who is Parisian by adoption, is unclassifiable (something he finds quite pleasing), and mainly works for magazines.
Moscou Project
Right from the beginning, it has been a very simple postulate and operation consisting of one tripod, a camera, some symbolic Muscovite places and a sign in Russian inviting passers-by to pose in front of the walls of their capital city. A first experience witnessed the end of Gorbatchev’s perestroïka, in September 1991, and later renewed in 2001 and 2011 by the duet formed by our two transalpine accomplices. They offer us a tremendous opportunity to detect in the eyes of these anonymous people from various backgrounds, the progress (as well as the damage) made/inflicted on the Muscovite society after the fall of the USSR and its opening to the western world, with the documentary’s ability to relate and inform without being spectacular.
Seeeuropeans
Starting again from the principle that cycles and time (past) make sense, Albert and Verzone embarked on another photographic saga. They travelled all over European beaches, from north to south, meeting bathers. From Italy to Lithuania, from France to Finland, from Greece to Spain and spanning the years, this series of portraits follows a documentary tradition that leaves a smile on our faces, even laughter, and make the characters become the reflection, though not always cheerful, of our society. The “leisure society” is neither invested, nor divested of its own caricature…
EXHIBITION
Until May 28th 2012
The Moscow Project / Seeuropeans
Centre Régional d’Art Contemporain
26 quai Aspirant Herber 34200 Sète
France
