Camilla Mecagni
@ Camilla M. Mecagni
Image and text by Camilla Mecagni
Imagine watching a blackbird as it gathers and builds its nest. The logic behind its collecting appears mysterious, an instinctive rationale unknown to us. A well-worn chef’s apron, the embellishment of cowrie shells on a bridal bodice, the elegant cadence of a black velvet fascinator, and the halo of mesh that cocoons a pregnant body: our twigs, bark, and mud. Gathering these bizarre objects around us, we stride out into the world, protected, each one a talisman to some unformed self.
@ Camilla M. Mecagni
With an acute sensitivity to this cryptic language—the hidden workings of semiotics—Mecagni unravels the complex personalities, ideas, places, and ambitions signified within. Subjects are recognized and portrayed with nuance and insight, the frame becoming a place where diverse realities co-exist, rising for a moment to be glimpsed upon the image's surface.
@ Camilla M. Mecagni
Often flowering in the thick of urban landscapes—namely New York and Milan, the two cities Mecagni calls home—photographs are enriched through creative collaboration, shining their light upon culture, the fusion of individuals, designers, and objects that texture each place.
@ Camilla M. Mecagni
With an adaptive practice able to move fluidly between analog and digital, public and private spheres: Mecagni’s confident presence is nevertheless always felt, her camera autonomous as it holds itself steadily within a crowd. It is the same discerning eyes that stare back at us in her Not so Nude self-portrait, a figure on horseback dressed in flesh-colored underwear, pantyhose, and black-riding boots. Through the strategic concealment of her body, Mecagni becomes an active presence, the observer who subversively leaves us
exposed.
@ Camilla M. Mecagni
To learn more, visit Camilla Mecagni’s website and Instagram @camillamecagni.
