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| 1. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Automatons 1 [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 179 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini Automi 1 [Automatons 1] seals more than any others the inevitable as much as irrational challenge we create with ourselves and the world becoming automatons, humanoids, unthinking beings. The athlete in the right foreground seems totally dismembered of his muscles and soul. His shoulder above the water looks like the tilted dorsal fin of a ravenous shark chasing its prey. This is the first of a group of photos in Piscine [Swimming pools] which curiously contain anatomical details referable to whales and sharks, which for about fifteen years were my preferential subjects. It is almost as if through Piscine I am sanctioning the continuation of my work. The swimmer in the foreground has his head slightly under the surface of the water. This makes it impossible for him to hear and realize that the athlete facing him two lanes above is he himself still partially human, as revealed by the more rounded lines of his bust and by the last sketching of a glance through his goggles. This is the only subject in the Automi [Automatons] series with some kind of expressiveness of the look. The two protagonists of this mirrored part of the photo are concentrated on challenging each other and therefore on themselves. Thus they do not seem to realize that the bodies preceding them, respectively in the lane separating them and in the one above, are dematerialized. These two almost dissolved bodies represent the destiny which attends those who proceed unthinkingly in a challenge devoid of ideals with themselves and the world: disintegration. Man has not yet learned how to live with himself, let alone with the world. He still has a long way to go, as emphasized by the position of the two swimmers-automatons on the far right of the image, and by the format of the photograph. In fact, the lengthening of the photo "increases the distance" towards the finishing line making it still seem far away, and for this reason not included in the image. However, after a wild proceeding in turbulent waters, the far left corner of the photo offers an optimism ahead owing to a last segment of inviting calm turquoise waters ahead. As in all of the photographs in this first series, Automi [Automatons], there is no background. The protagonists are isolated from all spectators and natural elements which instead are present in other photographs in Piscine. This stylistic choice, confining the protagonists in a cold and silent beauty reduced to pure aesthetic, condemns all acts preformed with no soul and no ideals. It also relegates them in a timeless dimension so as to cut off, as much as possible, all negative influence on the sound part of society, which will be represented by the thinking man embodied in the divers. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 2. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 The Swimmer [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 107 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini This is one of my favourite photographs in Piscine [Swimming pools] and it falls within my classification of a Photo-Drawing. Many see in the Swimmer's stroke the tail of a whale. This is just one of the various identifications with cetaceans and sharks which seem to want to link Piscine to the many works I have dedicated to these protagonists of the oceans. I cannot concentrate on this figurative aspect. Instead, I feel as if I am swimming with the anonymous protagonist of the photograph. I would like to mention that although these photos portray renowned champions, I prefer to safeguard their identity so as not to distract the observer from the image itself and its contents. In the majestic stroke, the back of the hand and the forearm appear stripped of their muscles similarly to those of the automaton swimmers in other photos. However, the muscles of the arm and the slightly visible curve under the armpit are evidence of human aspects, just like the solemn way of moving forward is very human. The face is expressionless: not because he has none, like the automaton swimmers, but because it is under the water. Still he looks concentrated in carrying out his agonistic act in the most profitable way possible. The absence of background is not meant to deprive the athlete of the support of the spectators and the natural elements (sky, trees), like it is in the case of the isolated swimmer-automaton devoid of ideals. Instead the purpose here is to frame the elegant and noble execution of the athletic act, thus facilitating a direct relationship between the observer and the athlete-man represented. Technically, the photograph shows a very successful counterlight in which the arm emerges from the typical black tones of the silhouette to take on the shades of the colour of the flesh. This contributes to the humanization of the figure represented. The absence of other athletes in the scene helps us to consider the protagonist as a real man who measures himself against the fact of crossing his own loneliness and external constrictions. These are represented by the lanes which want to funnel his existence, as in the upper part of the photograph Falsa linea d'arrivo [False Finishing Line]. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 3. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Tonic Nakedness [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 100 x 65 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini In Piscine [Swimming pools] the Diver represents the thinking man. There is a clear distinction between the Diver and the Swimmer. The latter leaves the starting blocks immediately and, with no time to think, he repeats the very same movement until the end. On the contrary, when the diver receives communication from the judge that it is his turn, he reaches the rim of the diving board or the platform and spends several instants mentally re-elaborating the dive he is getting ready to do. It is a more elaborated athletic act compared to the swimmer's, and accomplished in a much quicker time frame. For his capability to stop and think, and for the larger variety of movements which he shows in his athletic act, the diver, that is the thinking man, is supported by the spectators. In fact, the crowd is present in all of the photos of the third series, that is the Divers, with the exception of Il Tuffatore [The Diver] and Carnalita Esplosiva 1 [Explosive Carnality 1]. In Tonica Nudita [Tonic Nakedness], which I actually classify as a Photo-Drawing, the action of the two synchronized diving athletes is absolutely human in the physicality of their movement which, with the aid of a tonic nakedness (title of the work), regains an explosive carnality. There is a clear contrast between the loneliness in which the Swimmers are portrayed, and this explosive and joyful carnality which is supported by the carnality revealed in the flamming chromatisms of the crowd on the terraces. This confirms the human essence of the diver's athletic act. As in the rest of Piscine [Swimming pools] I made use of analog photography, and here with a very long exposure time. Therefore, owing to the absolute quickness of the athlete's dive from the 3 metre diving board, it was very difficult to find the right framing and synchronize it with the very short and single instant in which I had the perception that the camera was putting the athlete into focus. In the performances from the 10 metre platform I had a couple of extra seconds to find the framing, but it was still impossible to take a second photo in which the scene could be put into focus again. The brighter segment which hits the two divers horizontally in the lower part of the photograph, seems to be keeping them in the air as if to perpetuate the elegance of their movement. In the pike position, the muscles sculpt the anatomy of the athlete in the forefront. The homogeneity of the light enables to concentrate on the action and appreciate the strokes of colour in the background supporting it. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 4. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Vital Exclamations [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 104 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini This is one of my favourite photographs in Piscine [Swimming pools]. Eight pairs of legs of a synchronized swimming team, engaged in a repeated vertical apnea, fill the photographic rectangle with a harmony which emphasizes the elegance of the athletic act. They look like just as many exclamation marks to which the vertical movement sealed by their shaded extremities gives a cheerful vitality. After so many photographs in Piscine dominated by hypnotizing chromatisms, in this case the hypnotizing effect is given by the movement. The bright turquoise of the swimming pool invites us to follow the swimmers in their prolonged apnea within the natural element, in their vital exclamations. The repeated contact with the water and the grace which it is characterized by represent the fourth step in Piscine. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 5. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Blinding Glare [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 108 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini Piscine/ Swimming Pools is meant as a metaphor of our contemporary society. Blinding Glare refers to the blindness which may be caused by success, often ending up in loneliness. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 6. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 A Victory or a Defeat [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 70 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini The position of the two humanoid swimmers creates this mirrored image overflowing with unawareness. The two athletes are expressionless as they look at each other without actually doing so. They simply move forward unthinkingly with their profiles stripped of their muscles and feelings, like all the protagonists of the first series, Automi [Automatons]. The title of the photograph Vittoria o Sconfitta [A Victory or a Defeat] does not have a question mark wanting to indicate the equivalence of the two conditions which belong to a similar unthinking dimension. This dimension is emphasized by the absence of a temporal collocation of the image which in turn is emphasized by the lack of expressiveness both of the protagonists and of the background. Vittoria o Sconfitta [A Victory or a Defeat] is such a recurring experience in our contemporary society! It is when you work towards a goal only to discover that your energy and/or feelings are on automatic pilot and that you do not feel the goal as being yours anymore. Sometimes you discover this feeling only once you've reached the aim. At that point, it is no longer a victory and you can actually consider it a defeat. The perfect symmetry of the image, the parallelism of the lanes and that of the swimmers, the square format which transforms the rectangle of the swimming pool into a ring, and the homogenous diffusion of the light leaving no point of reference, all contribute to form the disorientating, irrational and mirrored situation of a challenge. A challenge with one's own self, the one and only non-imaginary opponent of our existence. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 7. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Automatons 2 [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 179 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 8. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Explosive Carnality 2 [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 9. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Automaton Athletic Loneliness [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 10. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 False Finishing Line [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 70 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini This square format photograph can be considered an advanced Photo-Drawing, both for its stylistic and its conceptual imprint. The brushstroke sketching the movements of the water increase in vigour compared to those in La Gara [The Competition], catalyzing all attention before discovering the athlete's arm. Even the latter shows new vigour when comparing it to those of the humanoids stripped of their muscles in the Automi [Automatons] series. This is the arm of a human being portrayed while measuring himself against the real challenge: the crossing of his own loneliness. The photograph is divided into two almost triangular halves. In the lower one, excepting a short segment in the upper left corner above the swimmer, the yellow lines of the lanes disappear under the sketches of the splashes of the water which look like waves. This gives a more epic quality to the value of the swimmer's crossing, and at the same time a higher sense of freedom to his gesture. Instead, in the upper triangle the floats of the lanes are markedly visible. They symbolize the constraints which are awaiting for man and that will try to funnel him again towards a monotonous and therefore irrational existence. For rationality, intended as sound and indispensable reasonableness, can originate only from freedom. Therefore, freedom is the condition of our existence and not its final purpose. Owing to the risks ahead, the inviting turquoise line which draws the two triangular halves of the photo and which the swimmer is getting ready to cross, represents a false finishing line. Which is precisely the title of the photograph. Just as in Vittoria o Sconfitta [A Victory or a Defeat], even in this case the square format of the photo wants to represent a ring in which this time, however, the challenger is all by himself. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 11. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Divers [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 12. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Automatons 3 [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 147 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 13. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Another Page [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 14. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 The Spectators Joyful Carnality [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 15. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Symbiosis [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 16. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 The Antithesis [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 100 x 67 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini After so much colour, here is a quieter photograph which finds its completion in the symmetry between the two divers' legs. The full muscularity of their bodies is counterparted by the slightly sketched profile in the foreground of a judge with a red jacket and a white cap. His eyes are on the athletes which does not cause us to avert ours from their action. The scene is dominated by various shades of blue with no other chromatic distractions. This makes the marriage with the liquid world, celebrated with the divers plunging into the water, even more absorbing and total. Such basis enables a return to the natural element which I personally long for, giving meaning and accomplishment to Piscine [Swimming pools]. The antithesis, which is the title of this photo, is symbolized by the light which illuminates the legs of the first athlete and by the shadow which envelopes those of the second. It indicates contradiction, a recurring state of our way of acting and of being. A condition which hits the thinking man too, and therefore something which human nature cannot avoid. The entering into the water of the diver on the left is made solemn by the glimmering halo enveloping him and created by the splashes of water. It is as if the purpose is to find some kind of purification from the fault of falling into contradiction with ourselves. But the fact that the diver on the right, shadow and alter ego of the first, follows him into the liquid world in which he is searching for purification, drops the hint that there is no possibility to be redeemed from the fault of contradiction. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 17. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 The Competition [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 18. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 The Ghost of the Swimming Pool [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 19. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 The New Adam [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 106 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini Il Nuovo Adamo [The New Adam] concludes the conceptual journey of Piscine [Swimming pools] which then continues in Piscine, fior di campioni [Swimming pools, great champions] The photograph celebrates the birth of the new man coming out of the natural element of water. Therefore, the back of the new Adam can be seen while he emerges from glimmering splashes in an aerodynamic position, perfectly at ease in the liquid element, like a fish. He does not seem to be worried about the barriers represented by the lanes. The apotheosis of the moment is created by the upward zig-zag movement of the water together with the diffused sunlight which hits the scene. In this matter I would like to add that all my photographs, not only those in Piscine [Swimming pools], are taken in natural light, without the use of flashes or support lamps. The composition of Il nuovo Adamo [The New Adam] is simple: the body of the protagonist is on the left of the photo in order to convey a stronger sensation of his movement. One single element, or actually two if we also want to consider the water are sufficient to create a strong image capable of communicating. Whereas the blue lane in the lower part of the photo acting as a frame, and the yellow ones just slightly noticeable, have no relevant role. The same can be said for a portion of a back just barely visible in the upper left corner of the photograph. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 20. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 The Fading [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 70 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini This photograph with a square format is dedicated to a synchronized swimming athlete. My attention was drawn by the bursting grace which characterized her coming out of the water, as that of her colleagues. Therefore, I tried to photograph her in the highest poetical moment of all: her first deep breath, a love song to the liquid world which has received her, and in which she is getting ready to dissolve again. Her hair tightly pulled back, her straight and proud poise make her look like an opera singer portrayed in the moment of greatest effort. The less vivid tones of the water and of the bathing suit are more suitable for this solemn and classical scene. The composition of the photograph highlights the right proportions of the athlete within the square of the image: she is big enough to draw attention and she is surrounded by the liquid element which she interacts with. Slightly moved to the right in order to give more airiness to her shout of love. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 21. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 To Win Clawing a Dream [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 86 x 75 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini This photograph, just like the others in Piscine [Swimming pools], was taken with an analog photo camera and there is no digital manipulation whatsoever. Therefore, Vincere artigliando un sogno [To Win Clawing a Dream] is one of those images which I prefer to call "Photo-Drawings" owing to the overall sketching, or as in this case, for the irreverent and ironic sketching of some of the elements. This can be seen in the fourth lane from the bottom where a hand is stretching out like a claw. It looks as if the "clawed" swimmer is trying to escape from an icy coldness conveyed by the humanoid one in the second lane from the bottom. The first swimmer is trying to find refuge in a more welcoming oneiric dimension, which personally I consider an unavoidable experience. Also the swimmer in the first lane from the bottom seems to be rebelling to the irrational spirit of the challenge. He does it mockingly transforming the upper part of his back and arm into the tail of a whale. The figures with the "arm-claw" and the "stroke-tail" end up dominating the scene, transforming the agonistic liquid whirl of the competition into an irreverent carefree glimmer of splashes, thus showing us that sometimes in order to win all you really need to do is cling on to a dream. The flecks of turquoise water and the dark blue of the two lanes in the upper part of the photograph enhance the joyfulness of the image, and at the same time weaken the rigid graphic structure which characterizes the photographs in the Automi [Automatons] series. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 22. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Transitory 1 [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 23. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Towards the Natural Element [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 24. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Transitory 2 [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper 70 x 106 cm Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini Transitanti 2 [Transitory 2] is a Photo-Drawing dedicated to a women's synchronized diving competition. I believe that the clarity of the two athletes' profiles sets nicely with the chromatic explosion created by the "braid" of colours in the background. As mentioned in Tonica Nudita [Tonic Nakedness], the clarity of the two subjects in the photograph is not a simple result to obtain. The extreme swiftness and briefness of the action itself is in sharp contrast with the need to find and keep the framing until obtaining the perception of having focused, and therefore taking the photo. It all takes place in a handful of seconds and it is physically impossible to repeat the operation during the same dive. The arched horizontal position of the athletes intersects with the vertical arches of the colours in the background, giving balance to the composition. I obtain the "braid" effect thanks to the palette of colours created by the spectators and owing to a very slight movement of my arms while following the divers' fall. By moving my arms in different ways I produce various chromatic shapes which can be seen in other photographs in Piscine [Swimming pools]. The well defined muscles of the two athletes compensate for the lack of the spectators' carnality, which instead is much more present in Tonica Nudita [Tonic Nakedness] and Carnalita gioiosa 1 [Joyful Carnality 1]. In Transitanti 2 [Transitory 2] the spectators' joyful support to the divers' thinking action is given abundantly by the chromatic whirl which it forms. The title Transitanti 2 [Transitory 2] (Piscine also presents the photograph Transitanti 1 [Transitory 1]), wants to emphasize the ethereal aspect of these bodies which seem to be flying in a timeless dimension. Therefore, they are not falling but in a transitory state which I wish would never end. Stefano Nicolini (July 2010) |
| 25. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 To Zombie: no Muscles and no Souls [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 26. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Joyful Carnality 1 [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 27. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 One Never Finishes Starting [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 28. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Reality and Dream [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 29. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Out of Man - Automaton [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |
| 30. |  | Stefano Nicolini 2009 Golden Loneliness [Swimming Pools (Piscine)] Colour slide 35 mm, printed on Hahnemuehle Baryta paper Provided by the artist - Stefano Nicolini |