Interview Jacopo Rinaldi

Photography

Not a work of photography, but a work on photography: this is how I would define my practice. The photographic image, as well as various processes of printing and reproduction, are at the heart of many of my projects. What appeals to me is questioning the boundary between different media, and working on photography, by attempting to question its status as a document.

References (art, literature, music, other)

During my school years, I mainly drew: I would leaf through catalogues on 15th and 16th century Italian painting, having understood that doing great in artistic subjects would have allowed me to neglect all of the others. I believe that drawing has taught me how to understand things through images (besides not understanding everything else). I think that music and cinema are the means of expression that have had the greatest impact on me during my adolescence, even more so than literature. Music and cinema have also shaped my visual imaginary: I am thinking of Peter Saville’s wonderful album designs for Joy Division or New Order, or Giuseppe Rotunno’s light work in Fellini’s movies. More than novels, I would say that nonfiction (such as essay writing) started gaining importance in my work in my university years, until now.

Research methodology

I aim to put research at the center of my practice; in fact, many of my works come to life after reading newspaper articles. Recently, I have been trying to involve some of the sources that inspired me in my work. For this reason, I have elaborated some of my projects alongside journalists, writers, researchers, historians, witnesses, or lawyers. I think that in this way, research became a central practice of my work, and I would like to further develop this investigative dimension in my future projects.

Artistic crossovers and contaminations

As I was saying before, I have often taken my cue from journalism, reading stories on newspapers or magazines, or listening to podcasts. A project can stem from a book I read, a discussion on Instagram, a conversation at the bar, or the idea can come to me on my way home. I believe that architecture is of great importance in my work. Both interior design and urban space are places of contaminations where very different objects and stories meet in proximity: from a graffiti on the wall of a church, to the juxtaposition of two books on a shelf.

 

 

 

 

Facebook
Twitter