Piero Gemelli: Fashion Photography as Architecture

Piero Gemelli, a Roman-born fashion photographer and architect, is exhibiting his work this summer in the exhibition "Corpo espressione del sentimento" at the Castello Ducale di Corigliano Calabro, as part of the 20th edition of Corigliano Calabro Fotografia, directed by Gaetano Gianzi and organized by the Associazione Culturale Corigliano per la Fotografia. In an interview, Gemelli discusses how his architectural training shapes his photographic approach, emphasizing volume, space, and the construction of reality. He recalls a pivotal workshop with Oliviero Toscani at Venezia 79, which led to his move to Milan in 1981 and subsequent entry into Vogue Italia, where his still life work caught the attention of Estée Lauder. Gemelli describes his method as rooted in classical beauty and surrealist assemblage, and notes that after two years in New York he stopped looking at other photographers' work, preferring to draw from his own unconscious.