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Artist Biography

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Paolo Ventura

Internationally acclaimed artist Paolo Ventura (b. 1968) is a master of the staged narrative, bringing the great theatrics and drama of the world to light in his moody artworks. Whether the final end result of his complex, multi-disciplinary practice is a photograph, painting or installation, it is always a dreamy, surreal hybrid between fact and fiction, the present day and the past—his process features many steps, and his realization of any given idea involves various stages of development and progression. He always begins, however, by imagining a story, which he illustrates through water-color drawings. He then draws the narrative into three dimensions by building a set—initially in miniature for his earliest series, using antiques and vintage props he procured at flea markets, and populating the scenes with small figural maquettes—and then translating it back into two dimensions through the flash of his camera.

Ventura was raised by a celebrated Italian children's book illustrator, and throughout his youth, his father would delight him and his brother with fanciful sketches and bed-time stories. That sense of childlike wonder pervades all of his work, which often features images of street performers, theaters, and cinemas, evoking the fanciful compositions of Toulouse-Lautrec. But Ventura's work is also imbued with a sense of disquiet that is all the more jarring for the superficially playful nature of his subjects, perhaps reflecting his unease about our changing, increasingly technological world.

His narratives are tinged with nostalgia for a bygone era, and they evoke simpler moments from Italy's past—the faded-pink stucco buildings, the cobblestone streets—but with a dark twist. Pre- or post-war, they are populated by shadowy, suspicious figures in hats and trench coats. In one photograph, a man stands on the edge of a roof, looking down toward a silent city swirling with mist; in another, a crowd of passerby lift their faces to the sky to watch a tight-rope walker, glimpsed exiting the top corner of the frame, suggesting an ominous end; in a third, a clown in a harlequin costume with a pale, white face lies on a bed, his hands clasped over his chest—but whether he is dead or asleep is unclear.

After completing his first three series War Souvenir, Winter Stories and The Automaton, Ventura decided to take part in the worlds he created. He began using himself as an actor rather than the inanimate figurines, photographing himself, and then digitally manipulating himself into his constructed backgrounds. Recently, his work has evolved yet again, and the appeal of incorporating live actors into his whimsical narratives has prompted him to initiate a new suite of photographs called Short Stories. For these works, he has brought his love for theatre to the forefront, constructing life-sized sets into which he can physically insert himself as well as members of his family, casting his son, wife, and twin brother as actors in a realm that formerly existed exclusively in his mind. The unsettling disjuncture in his photographs, however, remains: he may have built a world of realistic proportions, but it is just a painted backdrop.

Born and raised in Milan, Italy, Paolo Ventura graduated from the Academia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan in 1991. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at Forma International Center for Photography, Milan, Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles, and Maison Europeenne de la Photographie, Paris, and in 2012, he was selected by curator Vittorio Sgarbi to create a series of works for the Italian national pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale. His works have been acquired by prominent public collections including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. and the Martin Margulies Collection in Miami, Florida. Four monographs of his work have been published: War Souvenir (Contrasto, 2006), Winter Stories (Aperture and Contrasto, 2009), The Automaton (Peliti Asociati, 2011) and Lo Zuavo Scomparso (Punctum Press, 2012).

 

Exhibitions

Sketchy

Rómulo Celdrán, Marc Dennis, Aleksandar Duravcevic, Trevor Guthrie, Leanne Shapton, Paolo Ventura
Jul 09 - Aug 16, 2013

Paolo Ventura

The Infinite City / The Magician
May 02 - Jun 22, 2013

Paolo Ventura

The Automaton of Venice / Behind the Walls
Sep 08 - Oct 15, 2011

Paolo Ventura

Winter Stories
Dec 10, 2009 - Jan 23, 2010

NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHS ...THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

Bruce Davidson, Margaret Bourke-White, Susan McCartney, Lou Stoumen, Mole & Thomas, Seneca Ray Stoddard, Louis Stettner, Nathan Harger, Paolo Ventura
Jun 04 - Aug 28, 2009

Paolo Ventura

Winter Stories
Feb 28 - Apr 12, 2008

Paolo Ventura

War Souvenir
Apr 13 - May 20, 2006

Press

The New York Times

Paolo Ventura Designs a ‘Carousel’
Apr 27, 2015

L'ArrcoBaleno

Short Stories: Photographer Paolo Ventura's latest, evocative series
Feb 12, 2015

The New Yorker

Paolo Ventura’s Short Stories
Feb 09, 2015

ARTnews

Critic's Pick
Oct 01, 2013

The Independent

Portfolio: Flights of fantasy in Paolo Ventura’s dark, poetic ‘Stories’ series
Sep 22, 2013

ARTnews

PAOLO VENTURA
Sep 01, 2013

The New Yorker

Goings about town: art
May 27, 2013

PDN

Dec 12, 2012

Art Economist

Artist To Watch
Dec 01, 2011

Art Info

Paolo Ventura, “The Automaton of Venice” (2011)
Oct 07, 2011

New York Magazine

Paolo Ventura
Sep 26, 2011

The New Yorker

PAOLO VENTURA
Sep 26, 2011

The New Yorker

PHOTO BOOTH
Sep 21, 2011

T THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE

FABRICATED TALES : PAOLO VENTURA AT HASTED KRAEUTLER
Sep 06, 2011

The New York Times

Alternative Worlds Where Even McMansions are Tiny
Jun 16, 2011

APERTURE

SNAPSHOT: Paolo Ventura
Jun 14, 2011

La Lettre

Jun 10, 2011

WALL STREET JOURNAL

THE ART WORLD'S OLYMPICS (PAOLO VENTURA)
May 27, 2011

CHARLESTON CITY PAPER

PAOLO VENTURA'S PHOTOGRAPHS DOCUMENT A WORLD MADE FOR WINTER STORIES
May 25, 2011

APERTURE

PAOLO VENTURA
May 01, 2011

THE NEW YORKER

PHOTO BOOTH: THE MOST MEMORABLE PHOTO SHOWS OF 2010
Dec 17, 2010

NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

PHOTOGRAPHER PAOLO VENTURA DISCUSSES BOOK "WINTER STORIES"
Sep 29, 2010

VS

PAOLO VENTURA
Sep 01, 2010

THE NEW YORK TIMES SUNDAY BOOK REVIEW

A VISION OF DARKNESS: BEHIND THIS WEEK'S COVER ART
Aug 06, 2010

CULTURE 24

PAOLO VENTURA: WWII TRAGEDY OF LIDICE REMEMBERED IN FFOTOGALLERY EXHIBITION
Feb 03, 2010

Wales Online

PAOLO VENTURA: EXHIBITION INSPIRED BY THE SILENT VILLAGE
Jan 20, 2010

The New Yorker

PAOLO VENTURA
Jan 11, 2010

The New Yorker

GOINGS ON ABOUT TOWN: ART - Shortlist
Dec 21, 2009

The New York Times

NONFICTION CHRONICLE: PAOLO VENTURA
Dec 10, 2009

Flavorwire

Daily Dose Pick: Paolo Ventura
Dec 02, 2009

PDN

PAST PERFECT
Dec 01, 2009

PDN

PAOLO VENTURA: WINTER STORIES
Nov 30, 2009

SOHO JOURNAL

"WINTER STORIES" BY PAOLO VENTURA -OPENS 12/09
Nov 30, 2009

Sunday Times

Toy Story
Nov 15, 2009

Harper's

Nov 01, 2009

Saatchi Online

FABULOUS FICTIONS: Paolo Ventura - Jasper de Beijer
Aug 30, 2009

E Magazine

Stories of inexperienced memories and dreams in the images of Paolo Ventura
Aug 21, 2009

THE NEW YORK TIMES

NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHS
Aug 14, 2009

PDN

PHOTO OF THE DAY: NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHS
Jul 22, 2009

WALL STREET JOURNAL

PARIS, BEFORE THE LIGHT - AND OTHER SHOWS WORTH SEEING IN NEW YORK
Jul 13, 2009

DESIGN ARTS DAILY

LIVE FROM NEW YORK, IT'S A HELLUVA TOWN!
Jul 01, 2009

Modern Painters

PAOLO VENTURA
Apr 01, 2009

Exit

Feb 01, 2009

art in america

PAOLO VENTURA: WINTER STORIES
Nov 01, 2008

Art Info

BREAKING OUT AT THE AIPAD PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW
Apr 10, 2008

PDN

Paolo ventura winter stories
Apr 08, 2008

New York Magazine

PAOLO VENTURA AT AIPAD
Apr 07, 2008

The Villager

Of cameras and commemoration
Apr 02, 2008

THE NEW YORKER

PAOLO VENTURA: WINTER STORIES
Apr 01, 2008

THE NEW YORK SUN

PAOLO VENTURA: WINTER STORIES
Mar 19, 2008

photograph

PAOLO VENTURA: ABOUT THE COVER
Mar 01, 2008

New York Magazine

Reaction Figures
Feb 08, 2008

LIGHT AND LENS

PAOLO VENTURA
Sep 14, 2007

Cool Hunting

Sep 11, 2007

F Stop

Paolo Ventura
Aug 01, 2007

PDN

WAR SOUVENIR
May 01, 2007

GRAPHIS PHOTOGRAPHY ANNUAL 2007

Q & A WITH PAOLO VENTURA
Jan 01, 2007

STOP SMILING

PAOLO VENTURA LETS LOOSE THE DOLLS OF WAR
Aug 01, 2006

The New Yorker

PAOLO VENTURA
May 15, 2006

THE NEW YORK SUN

PAOLO VENTURA: A LIVING FICTION, INSPIRED BY MEMORIES
May 15, 2006

The First Post

TOY SOLDIERS
May 09, 2006

PDN

Blurring Fiction and Reality: Paolo Ventura
May 01, 2006

THE NEW YORK SUN

SOUVENIR STORIES
Apr 18, 2006

State of Art

photography galleries join the exodus to chelsea
Apr 09, 2006

LEICAWORLD

WAR SOUVENIR
Feb 01, 2006

POPULAR PHOTOGRAPHY & IMAGING

PHOTO BY PAOLO VENTURA FROM THE 'GUERRA' SERIES
Feb 01, 2006

LES RENCONTRES ARLES

PAOLO VENTURA: SCENES OF WAR
Jan 01, 2006

APERTURE

PAOLO VENTURA'S WAR SOUVENIRS
Sep 01, 2005

News

Paolo Ventura

Paolo Ventura debut as scenic designer at Lyric Opera of Chicago
Apr 10, 2015

Paolo Ventura

Short Stories exhibition at Gallery Baton, Seoul Korea
Feb 04, 2015

Paolo Ventura

The war which is coming is not the first one Great war 1914-2014
Oct 03, 2014

Dreams

Paolo and Andrea Ventura at Die Galerie
Mar 26, 2014

Paolo Ventura

The Infinite City, Artist reception
May 02, 2013

Paolo Ventura

Automaton of Venice and Behind the Walls- Opening Reception
September 08, 2011

Publications

The Automaton

Dewi Lewis Publishing
Mar 13, 2012

Paolo Ventura

Winter Stories
Nov 30, 2009

War Souvenir

Contrasto
Apr 01, 2006