Francesca Catastini's photographic work aims to overcome the idea of separation, initiating an interaction of images with other images, text, or objects. Through this process of continuous invention and layering, new meanings are achieved.
Anna Breit moves between fashion photography and free artistic projects, where she mainly takes pictures of her friends, family and surroundings. She mainly works in series, that provide a thematic orientation, but within which she maintains a momentary and spontaneous photographic practice.
FRANCESCA CATASTINI
The photographs are Inkjet prints on Hahnemühle fine art paper in limited edition, signed and numbered in the reverse.
In ‘The Modern Spirit Is Vivisective’ the artist ventures in the history of the study of anatomy and the phenomenon of public dissections. From the late 16th to the end of the 18th century executed convicts were publicly dissected almost once a year in so-called anatomical theaters, which were attended by students, professors, dignitaries and paying audience. This work is an ironic reflection on the role vision plays in Western culture and the observational activity of the audience, who – whether laypersons or professionals – witnessed the segmentation of human bodies and the construction of a new body of scientific knowledge.
In ‘Petrus’ Catastini explores the human need to define oneself and the world through specific forms. Forms are never stable though, as they are the result of a never-ending tension of different forces. In a cynical, thoughtful, and arbitrary analysis, Francesca Catastini plays with archetypes and images, considering the way they sculpt ourselves and shape our views. The title, Petrus, refers to a liquor which in the 1970s was considered “the perfect drink for the strong man, the man living according to nature”. But what is Nature according to humans?
Francesca Catastini was born in 1982 in Lucca, Italy, and lives and works in Vienna. In 2009 she earned her master’s degree in Photography and Visual Design at the NABA Academy in Milan. In 2016 her book The Modern Spirit Is Vivisective was awarded the ViennaPhotoBookAward. In 2019 her second book Petrus was published by Kehrer Verlag.
Francesca Catastini's work has been exhibited and presented internationally: Forte Belvedere, Florence (2022), Spark Art Fair, Vienna (2022), OstLicht Galerie für Fotografie, Vienna (2021), Podbielski Contemporary, Milan (2021), Fotografie Forum Frankfurt (2020), Centro per l'ArteContemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato (2020), Meitar Award for Excellence in Photography, Tel Aviv (2019), Photolux Festival at IMT School for Advanced Studies, Lucca, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome (2018), CENTQUATRE-PARIS, Paris (2018), MACRO Factory, Rome (2018), Benaki Museum, Athens (2017), Galleria Parmeggiani, Fotografia Europea, Reggio Emilia (2017), Plat(t)form at Fotomuseum Winterthur (2017), London Art Fair (2016).
ANNA BREIT
The photographs are pigment prints on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper in limited edition, signed and numbered.
„Dear Mama, I think you are truly beautiful. Happy Birthday! Anna"
Her work ‘Mama’ is an ongoing project created over several years that portrays her mother. The work can be understood as a love letter to her mother and dedicated to love in general. The starting point of the work was her mother's birthday, from which the short letter originates.
Anna Breit, born in 1991, is an Austrian artist and photographer based in Vienna and Paris. Her work ranges from fashion photography for magazines to art projects, which are often using a semi documentary style, as the base assertion. She mainly works in series and finds her subjects in friends, family, and surroundings. Her intimate, organic, and immersive approach has shaped her visual language and aesthetic. Exclusively and intentionally shooting on analogue film, she allows direct light, harsh flashes, and alleged casual circumstances to guide her work.
Growing up in the Vienna punk scene and nurtured by wave culture, her genuine commitment to capturing the essence of youth, outcasts, and counterculture, deconstructing body representation and conventions have led her to portray unique personal stories and uncover the ties which link human relationships. In her first book, ‘Teens (in their rooms)’, published at FOTOHOF edition (2021), she not only portrays a generation of teenagers in their most intimate yet trivial space but also investigates the nature of her own relationship with youth. Her work has been published in international magazines like Artnet, Vogue Italia, de Volkskrant Magazine, C41 Magazine and many more.
She participated in exhibtions at OstLicht - Vienna, Fotohof - Salzurg, Sheriff Projects - Paris, Pergola 15 - Milan (in cooperation with Milan Design Week), Museum der Arbeit - Hamburg and many more.
