IMAGE IN PROGRESS /// N.

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IMAGE IN PROGRESS N. 3 - 2012 - BIANNUAL - WWW.IMAGEINPROGRESS.COM - £ 5,99 - ITALY €9,99

Art in... dust!

30 03 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE IMAGE IN PROGRESS INDUSTRY

WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS: GUIDO ARGENTINI - NICK BRANDT - TOBY BURROWS

PAVLOVE DER VISIONAER - JAN FRANCIS - PAOLA GUIGOU
JEAN FRANÇOIS LEPAGE - DANIELLE LEVITT - RICHARD MACHADO

ph: Olivier Valsecchi - www.oliviervalsecchi.com

EXCLUSIVE TEXTS BY
ART DIRECTOR: WARRENT SATT - DESIGNER: SHANNON SHIANG - GALLERIST: CELINE MOINE
HAIR STYLISTS: GIANDONATO BEATO - EROS LIU - PHOTOGRAPHERS: CHIARA CECI
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www.imageinprogress.com YVADNEY DAVIS - JACLYN IAVARONE - MANUELA MEZZETTI - WRITER: ANITA ZECHENDER
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ph: Guido Argentini t: Emanuele Cucuzza

“The book is where everything begins.”

What is the ultimate objective of a photo project? Guido Argentini
has no doubts and in an exclusive interview he tells us about his
relationship with models, publishers, collectors… and the freedom
to publish one’s own books!

Linda sitting on a broken tv - ph: Guido Argentini

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 Aneta caressed by the window’s light - ph: Guido Argentini

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Petra smoking a cigarette - ph: Guido Argentini

Guido Argentini and landscape nudes, a reflection of the artist’s great

was born in Flo- personal passion for sculpture and dance; “Private
rence, Italy. He stu- Rooms” (teNeues, 2005), an entirely different type
died Medicine for of personal journey, one where eroticism and be-
three years at the auty are clearly inseparable in a unique ‘feminine
University of Flo- universe’, in the intimacy of closed rooms, ancient
rence. At the age of villas, modern apartments and many hotels, from
23 he decided to turn his passion for photography the most elegant to the most squalid insignificant
into a profession and started to shoot fashion and hourly-rate motels; “Reflections” (teNeues, 2007),
beauty. He has lived in the USA, in Los Angeles, a vast collection of photographs of women looking
since the 1990s. His work has been published by at themselves in mirrors: a sort of unconscious re-
some of the leading magazines in the world, such search about the woman who studies herself, falls
as “MarieClaire”, “Men’sHealth”, “Panorama”, in love, and gets lost in her own image; “Shades
“Playboy”, “Vogue”, “Max”, “Maxim” and many of a Woman” (2010) includes six chapters, two in
others. So far he has published four books: “Silve- black and white and four in color, taken indoor and
reye” (teNeues, 2003), an exquisite series of studio outdoor all over the world.

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Tin alone in her room - ph: Guido Argentini
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The beginning. “I came to Los Angeles in the early 1990s. I

had a friend there but I ended up staying at
You started shooting photographs at the age of her place for one night only. I had studied
17, yet you waited until you were 23, when you English for just a few months at a school in
stopped studying medicine, to became a pro- Florence, then it was a learning, “on the stre-
fessional photographer. What made you confi- et” process. At the very beginning I was sho-
dent that your could have a career in this field? oting portfolios for models and always trying
“When you make such a drastic change in your to get pictures for myself that, eventually,
life you must believe in what you are doing, even would be part of my first book, “Silvereye”.”
when everybody around you tells you that “you Did you ever think about going back?
are crazy”. Believing in yourself is the key to suc- “No, I have never thought I would go
cess in life.” back. Ever since I came to America I have
It must have been tough for you to move to the felt a sense of freedom that I did not have
United States, especially when you did not spe- in the country where I was born and where
ak the language… I grew up.”

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Will you hear my voice? - ph: Guido Argentini

Why? Was it because America is a special place, reply but, if you send something they like, they will
because you were far away from Italy or simply eventually get back to you. The problem today is
because you were far away from the restrictions that too many people want the same thing. Everybo-
imposed by your milieu? dy thinks that he or she is a photographer…”
“None of these things. I believe everybody can Have you ever worked with agencies?
find the place where he or she feels comfortable. “Also on this matter it’s all subjective, an agent that
There is no such thing as “the perfect place” to be is good for a photographer may not be good for
in this world, it is always subjective.” another… The key is to be represented by an agent
What advice would you give to young people who or agency that loves your work and believes in you.”
are considering the possibility to relocate abroad? You have always considered the other photo-
“I believe that Italy is not the best place to be graphers’ work as a useful source of inspira-
if you want to be an artist. I always suggest to tion, but also a way to monitor what has alrea-
everybody to live abroad for a long period of dy been done, so as to avoid copying it. Which
time, at least a few years. It always expands your photographers inspired you the most?
mental horizons. Even if you end up going back “I never had a hero photographer that I followed.
to Italy, after your experience, you will see things I loved and still love “good work”. So I appreciate
from a different perspective.” the photographs of Avedon, Guy Bourdin, New-
How did your career as a photographer unfold? ton and Irving Penn. They are very different from
What type of commissions did you get at the be- one another but they are all great photographers.”
ginning that allowed you to earn more money? In your opinion, who are the most interesting con-
“At the very beginning it is always a mix of things temporary photographers specializing in art nudes?
that can create a possible income, model portfo- “I could not say… I don’t like the “nude” work of
lios, a few editorials… I have done very little many contemporary photographers… I like more
work for fashion catalogues in my life.” the work of a few fashion photographers today.”
Do you remember how you approached maga- And what about magazines? Is there any that
zines at the beginning? you think we should follow?
“I just sent them pictures. Magazines do not always “Italian Vogue used to be at the end of the 80s

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Ananta the infinite space - ph: Guido Argentini
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and all 90s an amazing magazine. The editorials a digital Canon 5d Mark II with 85 f1.2 or 35
there were great, same with French Vogue in the f1.4 and no lights. I stopped using lights a few
70s and 80s… Today I cannot find any magazi- years ago. I just use what is available in the room
ne that really “fulfills my eyes”… Sad but true. where I shoot, a window, a desk lamp… Never
Every magazine that tried in the past to create liked reflective panels and I used flashes just for
an artistic photographic publication specialized selective projects. I try not to use a tripod when
in “fine art nudes” ended up closing very soon. I can. It anchors you to a place and you end up
“Not only BW” in Australia, “Photographer’s “missing” on shooting from different angles.”
collectors” in the US… they both lasted only a Film and/or digital?
few years.” “I have been shooting digital for 2 years now.
Very little film these days. Digital, if you know
Photography. how to “treat” it, can give you amazing results.
By the way, I always scan my films and then I
“I never studied photography, I learned by looking work in Adobe Photoshop the way I used to
at the work of the photographers I loved growing work in the darkroom. It is just the most sophi-
up. The first camera is like the first love, you never sticated darkroom ever existed!”
forget it: Olympus OM-1. Then Nikon FM2 and Do you do your own postproduction?
Nikon F3 and I still have these cameras…” “I always do my own postproduction.”
Like us, you think that the medium is not im- The market increasingly requires also the
portant, but one of your peculiarities is that use of videos; how are you getting organized
you work alone, without assistants, and this on this front?
makes our readers all the more curious. To ”I am working on a documentary at the mo-
make the model feel comfortable it helps not to ment. A film on myself and my photography.
have people around, yet it is not easy in terms My film will have pieces shot on dv, some in dv
of organization. So, what is your favorite travel hd, some with Canon mark II and some with
equipment? RED camera. I will become a film maker when I
“I use an analog Hasselblad with an 80mm and have a story to tell.”

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Looking at the new horizon - ph: Guido Argentini

Oleg Dou photographed by Katerina Belkina

The models. Sculpture is one of the greatest forms of art, in

my opinion, and Brancusi is the one artist that
You constantly refer to the concept of beauty, inspired me immensely. In “Private Rooms” and
the focus of your research, as a way to attract “Reflections” I started to explore the eroticism
attention so that you can tell your stories to a of women from a male’s point of view. In both
larger audience. However, today a good part books the main goal and the main subject was
of contemporary art seems to want to do away the beauty of the women. You can see beauti-
with this attraction for beauty, taking it for ful women also in my latest book, “Shades of
granted and even considering it inexpressive… a woman”, but in most of the images they are
“My photography has explored different nuan- just an element to tell a story. Beauty should
ces of feminine beauty over the years. In my not be the only goal, it should be an element
first book, “Silvereye”, the body was the main that helps to attract the attention of people but
subject, the face of the model was always hid- my photography must go beyond that. Most
den on purpose, to put the accent on the shapes conceptual photography is often, esthetically,
of the female forms. I was trying to be more a “not beautiful”. It looks almost like that what
“bidimensional sculptor” than a photographer. is not beautiful could be more intellectually in-

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Bring the dream into existence - ph: Guido Argentini
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teresting. Look at the work of Cindy Sherman you show a part of yourself. If I did not want to
for example. She has now a retrospective at the show who I am I would not publish my work. I
MOMA in NY and one of her pictures 18x24cm always believe in “sharing beauty”. To take pic-
(8x10”) edition of 10 was sold a couple of weeks tures just for myself would be a very selfish act.
ago for $750,000.00 at Sotheby’s. Are Sherman’s If any artist kept his or her work “private” there
pictures about beauty? Everybody has a different would be not art at all.”
approach when it comes to art. My approach, What meaning do you attribute to the word
from now on, is to still use beauty in my photo- “decency”?
graphy but just as one of the elements I need in “The meaning I give is not important. Everybo-
order to be able to tell a story. A concept must be dy has a different concept and idea of that. It is
supporting the new body of work.” the same with Love. Is not “what it is” but always
Have you ever realized or regretted baring “what we make of it”…”
through your images a part of you that you did In one of your videos you said that the most
not know or want to come to the surface? important things in selecting the most suitable
“Every time you take pictures and you publish models are attitude, artistic fit and the sha-
them and make them available to the public ring of the project. In fact, you consider these

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Will I be beautiful forever? - ph: Guido Argentini

aspects as fundamental to achieve what you call do not go well, most of the times, together.”
the “unpredictable magic” of certain photos… Do you ever rely on agencies or are the appli-
“It is true, is not easy to find the right subject cations submitted through your website suffi-
to work with. Often it is easier to create beauti- cient to meet your requirements?
ful images with a woman that is close to you in “Very rarely have agencies have helped me to
life. Intimacy is there because you are a couple find models for an artistic project. They just do
and, usually, women that like me like my work not care and are always interested just in com-
as well. I’m searching now for the next muse, but mercial projects that can generate money.”
I believe it is like in love, you can search for it, it If we may ask, when you work for a project of
just “happens” or it does not…” yours, in percentage terms, how many times do
Even though they may not be paramount, you cer- you pay your models? How often do you get paid
tainly have some objective physical characteristics… for your books? Do you ever work in tfp/tfcd?
“No, I do not have any physical characteri- “I started not to pay my models a few years ago.
stics that I look for. I love beautiful legs but This way I know who really wants to be part of
the height of a model has never been an issue. an artistic project… Many people think that I
Proportions are more important.” make money selling books, but, unfortunately, I
How is your model research or selection changing? make very little money with the sale of my publi-
It is easier now compared to when you started? shed books. People should know that.”
“No, it is much harder these days. Now that I am However, models do need a few photographs
looking for women that “understand” what I am for their book, for the composit and their web-
doing and they should “love” being part of an ar- site. How do you deal with that?
tistic project it is more difficult to find the right “Difficult subject… The pictures I shoot are ne-
subjects for my work. Unfortunately women are ver “for a portfolio” or to be displayed on Face-
often more beautiful when they are young but book. Most girls do not really understand this. I
they are more “understanding” and passionate try always to shoot something they can eventual-
about art when they are older. So the two elements ly use for themselves.”

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Can we remember that we really are immortals? - ph: Guido Argentini
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The books. can publish in a book and what you can

show in an exhibition?
On your website you say that the pleasure of “I never had a problem publishing or displaying
publishing a book is underpinned by the desire in exhibitions my pictures and I never wanted
to tell something and share it. Have you ever to show something that was borderline porno-
felt misunderstood? graphic. I believe that when there is “a concept
”Every time you make something “public”, pu- behind” a book or a show any eroticism is ju-
blishing a book that will be sold in a store or stified.”
on line, you will have always a mixed reaction: How did your collaboration with teNeues come
Somebody will understand my pictures and so- into being for your first book, Silvereye?
mebody will not.” “Of course teNeues did not know me, so I con-
After four books, besides the beauty and sophi- tacted him and we met in person in Munich. He
stication of the images, what are in your opi- loved the project.”
nion the recurring themes in your research? What type of arrangements can a photographer
“To tell a story is my goal. And to tell a story hope to make with a publisher of that caliber?
with one image only is not always easy. You do Let me give you some scenarios: are book prin-
not have movement, you do not have words, you ting costs totally paid for or are they split? Are
do not have music. The beauty of this is that copies given for free to the artist who can sell
everything is left to your fantasy and imagina- them personally or what percentage discount is
tion. What happened before that shot and what typically given so that the artist can sell copies
will happen after is all left to the mind of the per- through his or her website? Does the author get
son that looks at the images. What is the woman a percentage of sales or is s/he paid a lump sum?
in the picture thinking? What does she feel? For “In my three books I had each time a different
every viewer a different story…” agreement. There are no specific rules. It is all
Are there different limits between what you about the agreement which can be reached
between a publisher and an artist.”

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Let there be light - ph: Guido Argentini

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I shall be free - ph: Guido Argentini

Are there any guarantees in terms of print qua- to publish with teNeus, also in financial terms?
lity? Is the printer chosen by the publisher or “Between the time I published “Silvereye”
by the photographer? (2002) and the time I did “Shades of a woman”
“The printer is chosen by the publisher. The (2010) the publishing industry changed drasti-
photographer should be present for the printing cally. Publishers have become more difficult in
process and I have always been there...” terms of investing money in new projects.”
Was it always the same printer? Is that why you decided to publish your own books?
“Every one of my books has been printed by a “I just printed “Shades of a woman” with the help
different printer.” of a sponsor but the book is now distributed by Da-
How involved is the artist, or how free is the miani. You need a publisher if you want the books
artist, in choosing the photos and when is the to be in bookstores worldwide. The goal is to have
choice made by the publisher? as many people as possible access my books.”
“I always chose all my pictures and made my The production of books and print boxes for
own layout.” collectors with sophisticated packaging im-
The same publisher published two more books plies a long and accurate search for the right
of yours. What does it mean for a photographer suppliers…
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The immovable is in the moving - ph: Guido Argentini
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“It is a long and difficult process. The best prin- work with. I’m trying to develop the relationship
ters for photography books are probably in Nor- with the Italian one at the moment…”
thern Italy. I printed my books with different In addition to your website, your books are
companies and I had good and bad experiences. sold in selected galleries worldwide. Do you
I’m still looking for the “perfect printer”…” have a distributor or have you established di-
Is there a particular aspect of book printing rect ties that you manage personally?
that you find most satisfactory? “With galleries I work directly but they don’t sell
“When I print books they must be in offset prin- most of the books… Books sell through booksto-
ting. Unless you make a dummy in a few copies, res and Amazon, where you can buy “Private Ro-
digital is way too expensive. I used different papers oms”, “Reflections”, “Shades of a woman” and
and I like the spot varnish but it all depends on the the limited edition of “Silvereye” and “Shades of
project. What is important are images more than a woman”.”
size, the paper or the way you varnish them.” Have you ever advertised your books on search
Where did you find the right supplier for the engines or social networks?
packaging? “Just on Facebook when my last book
“I have one in Italy and one on East Coast that I came out.”
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Heimarmene - ph: Guido Argentini

The exhibitions. frame and display. It all depends on the images.

I recently made polished Aluminum frames for
“I have several galleries worldwide but the one that I the silver collection and they look amazing. I’m
work more closely with is my Gallery in Japan, Gale- also working with an artisan in Florence on a se-
rie Sho Contemporary Art ( www.g-sho.com ).” ries of very special frames in wood and antique
What are your most successful markets? gold finishing for a series of images I’m working
“Probably USA and Germany.” on at the moment.”
How do you like to set up your photographs? Are you for or against glass or plexiglass on your photos?
“I used to make Lambda Chromogenic prints in “I always have plexi on my pictures, always using
the past but I switched to Archival pigment ink a spacer so that plexi and print never touch.”
because I get much better quality in both, color Have you developed any friendship or some sort
and BW. Colors are more real and vivid and BW of collaboration with your photo collectors?
looks very much as the fiber base prints I used to “I have one collector in Texas that loves my work
make in the darkroom. I like different types of and he flew me first class there to meet him in

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person a few years ago. He has been a collector You say that you did not want to work on the reco-
for 7 years already. He has probably the biggest gnizability of your photos from a technical point
collection of nude photography in the world…” of view. What are the traits you would like to be
Do you ever take private commissions? remembered for one hundred years from now?
“Yes I did it in the past and I’m willing to do it in ”I’d love to be remembered for who I was and for
the future, if the idea and the money are good.” what I told people with my work. I’m just begin-
When you work for a new photo project, are ning to do what will be my best work…”
you more naturally intrigued by the idea of a
book or that of an exhibition?
“The book is where everything begins. The exhi-
bition is a follow-up to a book…”
If you could make a wish, in which museum
would you like to exhibit your photos?
“MOMA in NY and Modern Tate in London. In
a few years…” w w w. gu i d oargent i ni .com

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