Milanese artist Paolo Ventura is preparing for his first solo exhibition in Paris at Galerie XII, where he will present his latest series 'Le Passe-Muraille.' In a revealing interview, Ventura explains his unconventional path to photography and his distinctive approach to image-making that combines painting, collage, and sculpture. His work challenges traditional definitions of photography by treating the camera as merely one tool in a much larger creative process.
Ventura's journey into photography was accidental rather than intentional. He initially studied painting in the early 1980s because photography schools were scarce and he was more drawn to the fine art world. After leaving art school, he found himself in Milan during its heyday as a fashion and advertising capital. The abundance of photography jobs led him to fashion photography, which he describes as being in the right place at the right time. Despite not choosing this path deliberately, Ventura found that commercial photography provided an excellent education because it prioritized creativity over technical perfection, allowing him to experiment freely and ultimately fall in love with the medium.
His creative process is anything but conventional. Rather than simply capturing moments, Ventura treats photography as the final step in a lengthy artistic journey. For his series 'Short Stories' (2012-2015), he painted theatrical backdrops for his subjects to perform before. With 'War Souvenir' (2005), he constructed puppets to stage his scenes. His recent work incorporates an even broader range of media including collage, painting, drawing, sculpture, and scenography. For 'Le Passe-Muraille,' he begins with photographs—either his own or found images—then paints over them to remove unwanted elements like cars, people, and signs, transforming the original scene into something entirely new and personal before adding figures through collage.
The inspiration for 'Le Passe-Muraille' came from Marcel Aymé's book of the same name, which Ventura freely adapted through his imagination. The narrative follows a Parisian man who discovers he can walk through walls while fleeing an attempted murder, using this power to satisfy his curiosity about other people's private lives. Ventura chose Paris as his setting for the first time, appreciating the city's theatrical quality and timeless monotony. He typically avoids specific locations to maintain a sense of timelessness in his work, often mixing eras so viewers cannot pinpoint when a scene occurs. This approach enhances the surreal quality that permeates his photography while maintaining a connection to reality.
Ventura's relationship with photography has evolved significantly over his career. He never considered himself a photographer, finding the medium too flat and limiting. The camera constrained his vision because it required something real to photograph, preventing invention. He always needed something more three-dimensional than the traditional camera-negative-print formula. Interestingly, despite working in the digital age, he avoids digital manipulation entirely. For Ventura, the physical act of creation is essential—he needs to get his hands dirty with paint and glue. Looking ahead, Ventura is preparing a new project on urban landscapes for a Minneapolis exhibition, this time eliminating all human presence to focus on architectural design, continuing his practice of painting directly onto photographs to remove traces of life.
