Parallel Lines: Rica Cerbarano
© Fontanesi, curated by Kublaiklan. Courtesy Gibellina PhotoRoad (foto by Camilla Marinelli)
Federica Belli: The language of photography is among the most contemporary languages of our time, due to its versatility and its immediate impact on the viewer. What brought you to work with this form of expression?
Rica Cerbarano: Let’s start with a statement: I prefer to talk about images, rather than photographs: though photography is a type of image, there are many others. My curatorial research goes beyond the field of photography, including equally pervasive languages, such as design. Photography is fascinating because of its ambivalent nature, compelling and repulsive at the same time. The more I study and deepen my knowledge about it, the less it feels like I actually know. Generally, I make an effort to consider photography not as much as part of an artistic discourse, but rather as part of a social discourse, as a means of communication.
Rica Cerbarano framing a picture. © Tommaso Stefanelli
F.B. With photography all around us in many forms, one naturally feels like distancing herself from the flow of pictures. However, there is something that still strikes each of us in some specific images. What is it for you?
R.C. First of all I would distinguish between the single image and the photographic project. In terms of single images, what strikes me is a sort of alienating effect in the image: something familiar, when framed with a foreign element, creates a gap between what I suppose to know and the way the photographer shows it. In terms of photographic projects, I am stimulated by those reflecting on the nature of the image itself, arousing meta photographic discourses that succeed in questioning the perception of images in our everyday life. I also appreciate those works that, in some way, match different languages and aesthetics: from documentary photography to fashion. This is clear also if you look at my collaborations: from Cortona On The Move to Vogue Italia.
© Kublaiklan x Fontanesi, Images Vevey 2020. Photo by Laetitia Gessler. Courtesy Images Vevey
F.B. Combining such varied roles actually creates a sense of the strange, I guess. Curator, exhibition manager, project coordinator. What excites you and leads you to combine these different languages?
R.C. All these roles share the process of putting fragments together. What I bring to these different environments is the combination of attention to the detail with awareness of the whole. For me it’s important to give a sense to the things I do and create, whether my role is organisational or curatorial. In fact, I can't imagine my contribution but as something that will impact the next link in the chain. I believe in the importance of teamwork and exchange with the other, as it all stems from the urgency of communication. And it’s not just about communicating what I know, but more importantly learning and helping those around me to learn something new.
F.B. Visual research is very important, both for photographers and for curators. With increasingly complex and interconnected issues, points of view multiply and it becomes more and more important to be aware of their existence. Can you tell me about your research process?
R.C. The research I pursue is aimed at understanding what happens around me. Being children of the Internet, online research becomes unavoidable: Instagram and Pinterest are place to be to keep up with trends and to stumble upon young creators. The problem with researching on social media, though, is that by their algorithmic nature they suggest what you might already like, thus the risk is getting lost in a sort of limbo: whenever I reach that point, I turn to magazines and online platforms, beyond the photographic sector as well. You know, the photographic world at times turns out to be a bit self-referential. I follow a multi-disciplinary approach, staying informed on graphics, design and architecture too: most visual stimuli come from there, even more when referring to the preparation of an exhibition. I find true inspiration outside of photography.
Alpine Wanderer, 2017 © Scandebergs. From the exhibition "All That Man Is – Fashion and Masculinity Now", curated by Chiara Bardelli Nonino assisted by Rica Cerbarano, Photo Vogue Festival 2018
F.B. Speaking of exhibition design, which in a way combines the fields of furniture, advertising and design, where does the creative process start: uninterrupted flights of imagination or a methodical approach?
R.C. My method, probably absorbed from the photo-festivals where I professionally grew up, such as Cortona on the Move, stems from the location. The biggest challenge is putting the location in dialogue with the work that will be exhibited there. It makes no sense to think of the exhibition as an entity independent from its place: unlike books, exhibitions rely on their immersive nature. A great deal of inspiration comes from design and architecture history, which then is to be reinterpreted. Also a lot of inspiration comes from the history of art, especially in the work of conceptual artists. Among my favourites, Alfredo Jaar, Victor Burgin, Jonathan Monk and Louise Lawler, who opened up a whole new world for me. They certainly saw photography as a material element in reality. After all, planning an installation involves thinking about photographs as physical devices. Even now with digital photography, it's all about assigning a real volume to the image, finding the best way to generate an interaction with the public. I don’t like to think about exhibitions as viewers staring at an image for hours. I want them to have an experience and learn something to bring home with them.
© Installation view "Are They Rocks or Clouds?", Marina Caneve, Cortona On The Move 2019. Exhibition design by Rica Cerbarano. Courtesy Arianna Rinaldo
Rica Cerbarano is a multifaceted figure in the field of Italian contemporary photography. Cofounder of the Kublaiklan collective, she writes for Vogue Italia and collaborates with festivals such as Cortona on the Move and Images Gibellina. She lives in Turin, Italy, and is mainly involved in curating and coordinating projects related to photography. You can find her on Instagram @ricacerbarano
by Federica Belli
