March 2009, Alessandro Di Giampietro

From Occhi Di Gatto, Giona Bernardi/Alessandro Di Giampietro, courtesy White Project, Russo/Bianchi, 2008

REVIEW
Alessandro Di Giampietro

Circus Bohemia Italiano

Majesty of Fellini, the discipline found in Italian cinema has been resuscitated in Alessandro Di Giampietro’s portraits of the artist as sub cultural clown, modern hipster, Post-East Village New York maniacs served from Pirandellian Theater. Contemporarily clowns aren’t absurd in exclusivity. They possess inner sophistication best described as circus bohemia. Whether freaks by nature, a concentrated effort allows them to display character centered on sexual progressivity and masculine identity. What model Alessandro draws from is counterbalance of street vernacular with extravagant style not founded as vogue rather expressed as original trends seemingly extracted from the common man and woman in the everyday. Substance of commonality surrounding these photographs revolves around these subjects, models, muses, not as celebrity but unique visions called upon from mild dementia. Red bubbles on their noses would immediately suggest hilarity. That indeed clowns are hilarious is understood. Much of this carries over onto some of the faces featured. Otherwise modernity as an abstraction renders itself here conclusively whereby circumstances surrounding male/female portraiture are given a distraction making what would be an ordinary photography seem courageous, multi-dimensional “sexo-chique”.

Alessandro Di Giampietro