I first met Pietro during my studies at Newport and among many others came to find a way of working that was unique to a place, built from the excellence of photographers / lecturers like Ken Grant, Paul Reas and Clive Landen and many more. Through these encounters we all encompassed what is important in photography as an art form to communicate and congratulate ideas born from the heart of Wales. With Ken Grant's work from Liverpool we were exposed to the slow idea of documentation through exposure to people's stories over concentrated periods. This slow process opened up the projects ability to discover and uncover things beyond the surface. Through this time we spent together as creative colleagues and upmost friends there is an origin of excellence that allows the artists to come through this education equipped with the notion that projects can function in such a way. As a result we see the school of photography at Newport produced some of the most promising artists and photographers.

The Ebb Tide

Pietro's work comes from something deep within his core essential being. A study of the land in the works like Cemento, utilized the larger format to create a detail and framing closer to what we see. Yet, it's origin and progression came from two projects (to my mind). When Pietro first came to us with work from The Ebb Tide, we saw a progression from the documentary narrative we were being taught. His curiosity and heart were at the forefront of these works. Before this, in the early stages of his newer development he had worked with an older couple living in Newport and besides the documentation there were conversations that led to technique of depiction. In The Ebb Tide we saw the birth of a way of working that would see a transition into landscape works of cities and natural areas with the same credibility of time given to these locations as subjects. With this work we see a “Robert Frank” moment within techniques originally set out. It carried a soul that exists within me today and many others converting their practice beyond what they knew. But above all, these pictures meant something to not only the subject but the people around the creation of the works. They are a time portal open and available to remind us what excellence feels like within creative means. 

The project Manca Anima came from an act of violence and a way to understand said violence. Using a tripod to protect himself from the violence that inspired the inquiry, the calm approach to something so irrational created a deeper historical study of the instruments of violence within our society that created such threats within ourselves (as perpetrators and victims of said violence). The work is slow, as thought and implemented, yet recovered metaphors from home town relics in Sicily, like the machine of function, depicted as violence and calmer moments of the people affected by these actions. The work is so still and precise, but carries immense weight on it’s shoulders. It's structure allows for this to project its exploration. 

In his later works the depiction of more urban landscapes are given a treatment that encapsulate the very fabric of how we see, we do and achieve within these spaces. The work goes above and beyond to portray with kindness and fondness when sometimes it is not applicable. Such heart lives in the negatives revisited. The work feels more important now and it's excellence that was installed in us whom consumed the wisdom of such lecturers navigating the halls at Newport University. The work is a pleasure to revisit and remains a bench mark for a lot of photographic projects.

Manca Anima

You can find more of Pietro’s work here