At the opening for the press of the MIA Photo Fair I immediately wanted to hear the opinion of the Director Fabio Castelli on a topic which I believe is of interest to all the readers of "ORPHO".
Soon, I will return to talk of the authors who participated at the most important Italian photographic fair held in Milano between March 10th to 13th, 2017.
Fabio Castelli, Creator and Artistic Director of the MIA Photo Fair.
Tony Graffio: Director, I would like to ask you a single question, but very difficult. What does distinguish a photographer from an artist?
Fabio Castelli: Well, this is one of the fundamental themes of this dichotomy between the world of art and the world of photography. Many artists are offended when they are called photographers and many photographers feel offended when they are called artists.
TG: Really?
FC: Absolutely. I give you an example. If a war photographer is called artist this is like questioning his ability to describe reality. Actually, maybe he was able to show reality at the risk of his own life, so it is understandable his aversion to the idea of being called artist. More and more classic photographers, maybe a little old fashioned, do not want to accept photography as a contemporary art language. It's easy to recognize them because they are people who are very attached to the mediums by which they have lived since they were very young. For them it is very difficult to change this approach, but it is clear that over the years also photography will be recognized by everybody as a language of the contemporary art.
TG: The problem for a photographer is always to be recognized as an artist ...
FC: This is a problem that affects all the arts: the painter, the sculptor, who makes performances or who draws collides against this difficulty. Regardless of how we express ourselves, it is difficult to be recognized as artists. Probably, time is the only major means able to show whether an author is an artist, in any way he expresses himself.
TG: Thank you very much.
