honorable mention
Monica Mazzotto united states
title
Lost Kingdoms
What I love to photograph is how time modifies spaces, giving them a completely original form of grace. My photographs of abandoned places, bring back the concept of imperfect, unusual harmony. A worn, lived-in, but never dead aesthetic.
This is the first part of my story. This is the first part of the story of my places. The one about their past. But without the second part, this story is incomplete. The second part is the part that tells the present of these places. My places are abandoned, but never deserted and even less lonely. On the contrary, they are living places, where animals, once sheltered from humans, can live free. Safe at last.
The human is absent, he has left the stage empty. He first invaded and then withdrew, giving Nature an opportunity to come back center stage, and to reclaim a lost and wounded kingdom.
In this unusual balance, there is space for everyone. It is a game where the likelihood of the context loses importance, and the possibilities of a new reality become the true focus of the experience.
My photographs are a combination of irony, imperfections and harmony, and represent the intersection between my two identities: ethologist and photographer.
In the last years, I participated in several solo and group exhibitions, in Italy (Turin and Trieste) and US (Detroit and Chicago).
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entry description
Through the digital manipulation of my photographs, I create abstract realities within colorless and buried walls.What I love to photograph is how time modifies spaces, giving them a completely original form of grace. My photographs of abandoned places, bring back the concept of imperfect, unusual harmony. A worn, lived-in, but never dead aesthetic.
This is the first part of my story. This is the first part of the story of my places. The one about their past. But without the second part, this story is incomplete. The second part is the part that tells the present of these places. My places are abandoned, but never deserted and even less lonely. On the contrary, they are living places, where animals, once sheltered from humans, can live free. Safe at last.
The human is absent, he has left the stage empty. He first invaded and then withdrew, giving Nature an opportunity to come back center stage, and to reclaim a lost and wounded kingdom.
In this unusual balance, there is space for everyone. It is a game where the likelihood of the context loses importance, and the possibilities of a new reality become the true focus of the experience.
My photographs are a combination of irony, imperfections and harmony, and represent the intersection between my two identities: ethologist and photographer.
about the photographer
My name is Monica Mazzotto, in art MoMaz, and I was born in Rome, Italy. I live in Chicago, and I loved animals and photography deeply for as long as I can remember. After majoring in Natural Sciences from the University of Turin, I received my PhD in Animal Biology from the University of Pisa. During these years, I took several photography courses in schools and academies, both in Pisa and Turin. After studying animal behavior for many years, I decided to pursue a career in scientific journalism, and thanks to collaboration with several newspapers and television stations I became a journalist. Finally, from the world of scientific research and journalism, I land in photography in a completely personal way.In the last years, I participated in several solo and group exhibitions, in Italy (Turin and Trieste) and US (Detroit and Chicago).
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