Filippo Armellin on Photography, Mentors, and the Sacred

Filippo Armellin, a photographer who studied at IUAV under Guido Guidi, Lewis Baltz, Antonello Frongia, Giorgio Agamben, and Anthony Louis Marasco, discusses his artistic journey. He credits Guidi's workshop as the most valuable, recalling Guidi's phrase: 'Bisognerebbe imparare tutto per poi riuscire a dimenticarsi tutto.' Armellin later graduated with Joseph Kosuth, whom he assisted in Venice and Rome. He then attended the Riccardo Bauer photography school in Milan. His career began documenting exhibitions at Galleria Giò Marconi, followed by work for Galleria Zero… and Fondazione Marconi. His first series, Land Cycles (2013), used constructed sets and was inspired by the Cain and Abel metaphor, contrasting sedentary and nomadic lifestyles. The series was exhibited at Massimo Carasi's gallery. Armellin's Blank Interiors (2016) continues this exploration, referencing sacred painting iconography. He discusses the concept of 'esaurimento del fotografabile' (exhaustion of the photographable), relating it to artists like Joachim Schmid and Alessandra Spranzi. He distinguishes his work from Thomas Demand's, emphasizing a pictorial origin. The interview was published in Artribune Magazine #33.