Paolo Ventura on Photography, Painting, and Masks at CAMERA Torino

Paolo Ventura's exhibition 'Carousel' runs until December 8, 2020, at CAMERA – Centro per la Fotografia in Turin. A monograph published by Silvana Editoriale accompanies the show, which Ventura himself constructed, selecting images and sequence. In an interview, Ventura discusses his shift from commercial fashion photography to constructed, narrative imagery using dioramas, linking his practice to staged photography traditions from James Casebere to Thomas Demand, but emphasizing his work's narrative quality. He blends photography and painting, citing painter Antonio Donghi as an influence. Ventura has produced many artist books, including with Danilo Montanari, viewing the book as a project's closure. His series 'War Souvenir' evokes 1943-45 Northern Italy based on grandmothers' stories. In 'Behind the Walls', he physically enters his scenes, having returned to Italy from the US. His mask hobby evolved into an exploration of the double, reflecting his twin brother. During lockdown, he created purely painterly works on large paper, exhibited in Minneapolis, and continues painting for a new project.