Recently published as a book, the work of Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni in Normandy follows the idea of a personal, almost literary narrative, made up of images which, even though they have a life of their own, are the episode-points of an uninterrupted line that defines an organic and emotional project.
It is the alternation of action and reaction, the mutual influence between their vision and that powerfully imprinted by the territory of Normandy. The interweaving of human life in its present and past history, punctuated by that of nature, plants, animals, the sea and the tides, creates indissoluble worlds, which influence each other, come together and recede in an uninterrupted chain of existence.
These are the elements that form the framework, the scenario on which the stories in their images unfold. Nature also as “state of things” or atmosphere, which is exactly captured in its archetypal Greek definition: “atmós – sphere” the intangible envelope that surrounds the cosmos and microcosms, from planets to the walls of a house, making them human. The coexistence of the elements of this gravitational system can be found in the empty and unfinished spaces and in the intimacy of the places and subjects photographed.
Presence and absence overlap and their interplay transports us. In the presence of an inimitable light of oceanic spaces, as well as in its absence, in the night or in the mists of the countryside. In the mass of low grey clouds or in the pristine immensity of a crystal clear sky. Suspended and mutable atmospheres, capable of creating an enigmatic world that asks questions without giving certain answers, renewing the tension of the unknown. The series is exhibited in Deauville, France, at the Festival Planches Contact and participates in the “photo4food” project, where the artists donate their photographs to buy basic necessities for the local Red Cross which cares for people in need. The book is released by Éditions Pierre Bessard.
About Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinni
Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinni are a duo of photographers who focus on contemporary storytelling. Their work, with a focus on human beings and their stories, is internationally recognised. They regularly publish in the most prestigious publications and exhibit their work internationally. They develop both documentary and reportage photography as well as more artistic projects. In their personal approach to photography the “who” is far more important than the “what”. People are the force, the engine that makes events happen, moving them through actions and reactions, be they social, environmental or even war. Their reportages all have a preponderant human aspect and use portraiture as a documentary tool. For them, understanding the human context, the motivation, the social environment, the daily life of people is the key to revealing much of the truth behind current events. Their involvement in the situations they describe and photograph is linked to an instinctive personal attitude that is always related to the local social fabric. Six of their works have been published as books. [Official Website][Book]
la plus fidèle des des présences ?
(Is not absence, for those who love, the most certain,
the most effective, the most enduring,
the most indestructible, the most faithful of presences?)
Marcel Proust
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