Paolo Ventura’s unique visual signature begins with the elaboration of sketches followed by fabrication of detailed dioramas used to shape his 'invented worlds'. His fictional and cinematic settings are influenced by World War II, 1950s Italian Neorealism and fantastic stories read by his father, a children’s book author. The large-scale Eclissi Totale #3 is from his recent series Collage (2017-2019) and is a unique composition featuring 16 hand painted photographs of two figures embracing within a constructed city scene. By combining elements of paint and collage within his photography, Ventura pushes the boundaries of the photographic medium to give a dramatic quality to these one-of-a-kind pieces.
