Esattamente 8 anni fa scrivevo una pagina del mio personale diario proprio su ArteFiera, e la "pubblicavo" su un proto-blog realizzato tramite una mailing-list di amici, artisti e creativi che ruotavano attorno ad un sito open e ai "suoi" progetti...

DAVIDE GAZZOTTI - Pavimentazione affollata a tratti ad ArteFiera 2007

...e, non inaspettatamente, molte delle considerazioni fatte allora si possono traslare in quello che è successo in questi anni all'arte, alle fiera, ad ArteFiera, ed al sottoscritto ...

[Articolo riportato da http://blog.myspace.com/davidephoto]

Here we go again with yet another Magnum-Photos a-la-Henri-Cartier-Bresson photographer on display in Modena this winter: just 2 large rooms with 3 dozens of big catchy colorful prints from Asia and a lot of rumbling people in the overheated gallery.

Different from many contemporary photojournalists who tend to "machine gun" their subjects, Steve McCurry immediately distinguished himself for his vivid personal way of seeing reality and by taking his time to slow down, wait for the right light, and know his subjects well before taking timeless shots of vibrant life.

The results are outstanding stunningly saturated portraits of people, places and moods, be them happy tribal dances or lands devastated by a war. Every single image vibrantly speaks both of the portrayed situations (be it in Afghanistan or in Tibet) and of its author at the same time: this is what I call the absolute reportage photography.

...

«Il mondo che abbiamo sempre avuto sotto gli occhi ne nasconde un altro». Così si apre Blow-up. Immagini del nanomondo, mostra fotografica ideata e prodotta dal Centro S3 di Modena (centro di ricerca in nanoscienze dell’Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia, Infm – Cnr) in collaborazione con la fotografa Lucia Covi e grazie al contributo della Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Modena.
...

[Articolo riportato da http://blog.myspace.com/davidephoto]

A woman, pictured from behind. She is on her knees on a bed, with just tights on, and her hands are gracefully cuffed to the bed head. Light is harsh, framing is well balanced and only apparently unkempt. Her expression is vaguely morbid, a typical image from the fetish mainstream of the 70s, and its soft-porn magazines.

This scene is taken from Bettina Rheims' first monograph, "Female Trouble", featuring portraits of women, published in 1989.

After having been a model, a journalist, and opening an art gallery, she began to be a photographer in 1978 at the age of 26. Bettina Rheims is an intriguing photographer of women.
Obsessed, sweet, sexy, candid, conscious, expressive, joyfully erotic, her photographs represent explicit and metaphoric exposition of crude sensuality, which incidently has to pass through nudity and typical male stereotypes. Nevertheless, the strong iconic tendency of these pictures transforms models into true symbols of an unbiased and mythic femininity, full of vitality and eros.

Have a look at her "Female Trouble" as soon as you can. It deserves it.

[Seen today at the Fabrica Shop - Bologna, with Ella and Luca]