Stefano Galli’s work documents his journey of crossing deserts, through forgotten villages, on remote and empty roads.
In “CARS,” geography is just as important as photography, even if in his shots – distinctive sharp cuts – he leads away from the dusty streets and daily life. Galli conducts the imagination to an elsewhere where lines play with material and shape, where the tail lights and fenders are transformed into surreal and alien beings.
And yet “CARS” goes far beyond a mere figurative research, the work is conducted with rigor and awareness, typical of a geographer or an archivist.
In fact, Galli meticulously notates the physical location of the intersection shown in each photograph.
Therefore, the project goes beyond the cult of the American car. Through this adventure, Galli tracks and defines – snap after snap – a cognitive path of the new continent.
So there is an aspect that links these works to a deep investigation of American society and to aspects of decay, an yet, mixed with a splendor that still dazzles.
The essence of his idea lies not only in the aesthetics of the work, but also in his decision to show the layers of dust on the cars, the broken headlights, and swollen wheels.
In this series, a fascination with America remains. a fascination with all its vastness and complexity, which attracts and disturbs at the same time.
Stefano Galli has a BA in cinematography from the University of Turin. After graduating, he lived in Copenhagen where he worked with Lars Von Trier and attended Fatamorgana, the Danish School of Art Photography. Eventually, Galli’s passion to create moved from the motion picture industry to the more personal world of still images. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles. Galli has shot portraits for magazines such as: Dazed and Confused, Flaunt,Saundvenue, Pig, Alla Carta and CODE as well as fashion stories for Collezioni Uomo and commercial work for Vivienne Westwood and American Apparel.
Maria Francesca Palmerio
Art Curator
