ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Shanti Simonetti's Magical Realism Photography

artist · 2026-06-25

Shanti Simonetti's photographic series 'Il Realismo Magico' presents recognizable yet subtly altered scenes that provoke questions without offering answers. The project explores a nuanced form of magical realism, where unusual details disrupt ordinary settings, creating a suspended narrative space. Simonetti emphasizes silence as the true protagonist, with images featuring figures like a person seated on asphalt wrapped in torn fabric, a clown-costumed individual standing still, and a man before baroque tapestry, his gaze elsewhere. The use of black-and-white and desaturated color is deliberate, building atmospheric coherence across diverse scenes and conveying a sense of frozen time. The series avoids linear storytelling, leaving viewers with a persistent feeling of arriving at the wrong moment.

Key facts

  • Shanti Simonetti's project is titled 'Il Realismo Magico'.
  • The series explores magical realism through photography.
  • Images include a figure on asphalt in torn fabric, a clown-costumed person, and a man before baroque tapestry.
  • Silence is described as the true protagonist of the photographs.
  • The work uses black-and-white and desaturated color for atmospheric coherence.
  • The series avoids linear narrative and creates a sense of frozen time.
  • The project was published on Collater.al.
  • The title functions as a precise interpretive key.

Entities

Artists

  • Shanti Simonetti

Institutions

  • Collater.al

Sources