Massimiliano Tommaso Rezza launches Pneumatica with 'Un certo Salvatore M.'

Massimiliano Tommaso Rezza founded the independent publishing project Pneumatica, debuting with the photobook 'Un certo Salvatore M.' (2019). The project emerged from a box of old photographs given to Rezza by his elderly neighbor Versilia P., depicting her late husband Salvatore M. Rezza was struck by the repetitive, self-conscious nature of the images, which served as a mirror for Salvatore M.'s social persona. Only two photographs disrupt this controlled narrative, showing Versilia P. and revealing her husband's awkwardness. Pneumatica aims to explore the photographic medium's testimonial power and linguistic contradictions, focusing on representation, documentary aesthetics, and ideological conformity. Rezza emphasizes self-publishing as a political act for autonomy. He plans a second book based on enlarged faces of a Berlin concert audience, contrasting authorial intent with the camera's automatic recording. The interview was conducted by Daniela Cotimbo for Artribune.