Elena Saviano
Words & Images by Elena Saviano
Interview by Hannah Roberts
What drove you to pursue image making?
The camera was always the most natural form of release for me. It has always made sense to translate my view of the world in this way and at my core, I think I make images to satisfy the ever present need to understand what is around me. No other medium or means of creation has ever allowed me to be so expressive.
What inspires you as an artist?
I'm inspired mostly by the people around me, the ones I know and the ones I don't know. Music and books. Other artists.
Describe your creative process in one word.
Intuitive
How did your series, “Private Properties” come to be?
"Private Properties" is above all a series about personal vacancy: an exploration of how I occupy both physical and nonphysical space and what it means to understand the resident emptiness within myself.
What was the last book you read or film you saw that resonated with you?
I just re-read Deborah Levy's "Real Estate." It's such a beautiful and poetic portrait of the conceptual approach to understanding ownership and what it means to belong.
What is your most played song or album in your music library?
I listen to so much music, this is such a hard question.... Right now, I'm listening to a lot of the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Anemone has been on repeat. But my most played album of all time is probably "Either/Or" by Elliot Smith. Elliot Smith's entire discography.
If you could teach a one hour class on anything, what would it be?
I would love to teach photography newbies how to use a film camera. It's such a lovely process!
How do you take your coffee?
Iced with a splash of oat milk.