ABOUT
— The decay photographer —
- ARTIST STATEMENT -
My instinct leads me to the discover of abandoned places, from past times, barely accessible and hidden from most people.
Explorations in complete solitude. Like a climber on inaccessible peaks, when you are alone your emotions are amplified and you feel as an anachronistic ghosts in a place where no one should be, an intruder who has entered to upset the ancient rest of a sleeping palace.
Palaces that, in my fantasy, are as if they were narcissistic entities destined for oblivion in search of someone able to convey their lost glories for the last time.
So I combine in a single recipe the common components in my way of photographing: adventure, architecture, technique and aesthetics … above all aesthetics.
Other illustrious interior authorial photographers are exclusively concerned with the subject represented and its visual conceptuality, but why not also take care of the light in order to have a product that also includes an aesthetic component that can be pleasant for the buyer who puts it on display?
But it is his technique that has become legendary, with his way of mastering light with high contrasts of light and shadows.
Essi mi hanno ispirato a portare avanti negli anni il mio progetto fotografico basato su antiche bellezze architettoniche italiane in decadenza; esprimono la sensazione di perdizione di un patrimonio storico architettonico come quello italiano, un’ode al risollevarsi e ritrasmettere al mondo intero il gusto dell’arte e del bello che ci ha sempre contraddistinto.
Molti di questi luoghi, infatti, appartengono proprio a quel periodo storico e, nella mia fantasia, è come se fossero delle narcisistiche entità destinate all’oblio in cerca di qualcuno in grado di trasmettere per un’ultima volta i loro fasti perduti.
Anche la sfida nella ricerca di questi luoghi difficilmente accessibili e nascosti ai più alimenta il mio senso d’avventura e la mia passione fotografica.
Nella mia iniziale ricerca mancava ancora l’ingrediente segreto per distinguermi dagli altri esploratori e fotografi.
I have always loved the Italian Risorgimento and I get particularly excited when I hear the “Va, pensiero” by Giuseppe Verdi which is a lyric from the Nabucco’s play.
These verses belong to the historical period of the unity of Italy and the great patriots: there was a mature feeling of revenge that was so pressing to bring back the ancient pride for a land rich in artistic and cultural wonders refined by centuries of history.
They have inspired me to carry on over the years my project based on old Italian architectural beauties in decline; I found them perfect to express the feeling of loss of an architectural historical heritage like the Italian one: an ode to raise and spread again the taste of art and beauty that has always marked us to the whole world. Many of these places, in fact, belong to that historical period and, in my fantasy, are as if they were narcissistic entities destined for oblivion in search of someone able to convey their lost glories for the last time.
Even the challenge of searching for these places that are difficult to access and hidden from most people feeds my sense of adventure and my passion for photography.
So I combine in a single recipe the common components in my way of photographing: adventure, architecture, technique and aesthetics … above all aesthetics.
Aesthetics as a search for a visual impact that strikes and emotions at first glance, far from a certain type of conceptual photography or complaint that nowadays is increasingly taking among the experts. I absolutely do not want to demonize some genres, I just want to return the lost taste of the “simply beautiful” as the ability of photographers to be able to convey their idea through an intuitive flicker fruit of capable compositions, use of light, image constructions and not by hermetic captions.
But it is his technique that has become legendary, with his way of mastering light with high contrasts of light and shadows.
- BIOGRAPHY -
Christian Basetti, born in 1979, lives in Milan. Animated by the ever-growing desire for adventure, he transforms great solo trips around the world into an indissoluble combination with landscape photography.
Since he’s fond of architectural photography, even in this case he admires the iconicity of the great works of the ancient and modern world; in his passion he feels the challenge to make the great works talk through his shots, as if they were silent, narcissistic creatures, waiting for someone to express their greatness.
The search for places and the story to reach such abandoned interiors is an integral part of the challenge, as well as the legal risk of not being discovered in the property of others, often guarded or otherwise not publicly accessible.
With a personal style always aimed at aesthetics, he never limits himself exclusively to the documentary aspect, but wants to represent the ancient pride of places destined to be erased by time, inspired by the style of Caravaggio in the representation of the environments.
The “Forgotten Artchitectures” project came to life.
Christian Basetti, classe 1979, vive a Milano. Animato dal desiderio sempre crescente per l’avventura, trasforma grandi viaggi in solitaria attorno al mondo in un binomio indissolubile con la fotografia di paesaggio.
Appassionato inoltre di fotografia d’architettura, anche in questo caso ammira l’iconocità delle grandi opere sia del mondo antico che moderno; nella sua passione sente la sfida di far parlare con gli scatti le grandi opere costruite, come se fossero delle creature narcisistiche silenziose in attesa di qualcuno che esprima la loro grandezza.
Nel 2015 , la passione per l’avventura e la fotografia d’ambienti confluisce nella fotografia di antichi luoghi decadenti, cercando di dare voce a queste strutture cariche di malinconico fascino.
Christian Basetti, born in 1979, lives in Milan. Animated by the ever-growing desire for adventure, he transforms great solo trips around the world into an indissoluble combination with landscape photography.
Since he’s fond of architectural photography, even in this case he admires the iconicity of the great works of the ancient and modern world; in his passion he feels the challenge to make the great works talk through his shots, as if they were silent, narcissistic creatures, waiting for someone to express their greatness.
With a personal style always aimed at aesthetics, he never limits himself exclusively to the documentary aspect, but wants to represent the ancient pride of places destined to be erased by time, inspired by the style of Caravaggio in the representation of the environments.
The “Forgotten Artchitectures” project came to life.
- UN ARTISTA...AVVENTURIERO-
UN ARTISTA... AVVENTURIERO
- AN ARTIST...ADVENTURER-
AN ARTIST... ADVENTURER
My passion for visual art has been with me for a long time, it’s not a last-minute passion.
In the ’80s in elementary school I drew anything; during the ’90s my adolescence was influenced by Italian hip hop and I became a street artist creator of urban murals; In the 2000s, I attended a comics illustration evening school thinking of that as a job.
But that wasn’t my path.
My way led me to start working in my father’s car body shop, a job far from my ropes but with a salary.
The secure salary for a young guy is tempting and for this reason for a few years I have anesthetized my artistic vein dedicating my energies only to that work.
My creativity felt caged, even more broken by the knowledge that the time of our life is limited.
In 2006 I became aware of the art of airbrushing, a rather niche art. Working in a body shop I realized that I could be lucky working already in an environment related to the use of paints. I practiced after the working day at night in the bodywork, in the winter periods all wrapped up in my dresses because of the night frost (the night was not turned on the heating in the workshop). Already at that time I realized my attitude to challenge environments to achieve what I believed in; something that will represent the norm for my artistic career as a photographer.
I became very good, to the point that I made drawings that looked like photographs. I felt ready to be covered in work as were the tattoo artists.
I worked on odd jobs of little importance, there was not much demand, and those few that there were obviously pulling on the price.
I quit after years.
I returned to working life as before, to the dream-killing routine, the dream of waking up in the morning and doing a job I like, a dream all too common to many artists.
I happened to take a solo sightseeing trip to the U.S. in August 2014.
In order not to get bored during my trip I decided to buy an entry level digital camera to document the holiday.
The holiday proved illuminating in several respects. Mainly from the spiritual one, I had opened a new world on the concept of travel.It was clear my attitude to be a landscape painter, environments naturally attracted me unlike people.
I came back from this wonderful experience with the artistic spark again lit and alive more than ever.
Inside I knew that the creative vein was going hand in hand with the adventure push. In order to take pictures in particular places I pushed myself into difficulties that did not represent anything in relation to the final result that I hoped to obtain. I risked dying of dehydration in the middle of an American desert lost in nowhere; or of frost sleeping in a cave at zero degrees at 2400 m in the Dolomites, only with clothes and no sleeping bag or tent; I have entered forbidden areas like in skyscraper yards in Dubai. All these stories could be the subject of a book that maybe a day I’ll write.
The problem is that I could satisfy my travels and my creative vein only in correspondence to the periods of vacation in which I have more time.
But in 2016, a guy in my photo club showed me some photographs of abandoned places. It was one of those things that turns on something dormant within you, an idea and a temptation that begin to come true.
He explained to me all the dynamics of research and access, of the various difficulties from many points of view. The thing fascinated me: it was something niche, exclusive and adventurous, with that hint of danger. And a few hours drive on weekends I could reach such places.
In the years to come I collected a considerable amount of photographic work.
And I still found myself thinking to myself…why not earn or even live with my art? The old desire to leave the workshop came back into my thoughts…
But the difficulties were not lacking.
Every abandoned place could represent a risk even if there is not an equal situation for all, even easy places happen where the only difficulty lies in their discovery. The abandoned places are however kept difficult to access for a matter of security (because of the danger of collapse) or to preserve them from thieves or vandals.
The classic physical difficulties: moulds, unreported holes, protruding nails and sudden collapses in the worst cases. And many brambles. Thorny thorns everywhere like last bastions in defense of the place. And pigeon droppings everywhere, sometimes real rugs.
Social dangers instead especially in old factories or public places where abandoned could live or practice shady activities.
Few are willing to wait with me for the evolution of light in the various rooms of a building, overcome by boredom. Often they are fast photographers like Japanese tourists, just happy to capture an experience.
But my determination in the challenge of having an extraordinary shot wins over the rest, as it overcomes the fear that you might have in certain environmental situations, atmosphere gloomy horror movies.
Premessa: non avevo mai usato in vita mia una fotocamera, non sapevo assolutamente nulla.
Pericoli sociali invece soprattutto in vecchie fabbriche o luoghi pubblici dove sbandati potrebbero viverci o praticare attività losche.
Pochi son disposti ad attendere con me l’evolversi della luce nelle varie stanze di un palazzo, vinti dalla noia. Spesso son dei fotografi velocisti come turisti giapponesi, contenti solo di immortalare un’esperienza.
My passion for visual art has been with me for a long time, it’s not a last-minute passion.
In the ’80s in elementary school I drew anything; during the ’90s my adolescence was influenced by Italian hip hop and I became a street artist creator of urban murals; In the 2000s, I attended a comics illustration evening school thinking of that as a job.
But that wasn’t my path.
My way led me to start working in my father’s car body shop, a job far from my ropes but with a salary.
The secure salary for a young guy is tempting and for this reason for a few years I have anesthetized my artistic vein dedicating my energies only to that work.
My creativity felt caged, even more broken by the knowledge that the time of our life is limited.
In 2006 I became aware of the art of airbrushing, a rather niche art. Working in a body shop I realized that I could be lucky working already in an environment related to the use of paints. I practiced after the working day at night in the bodywork, in the winter periods all wrapped up in my dresses because of the night frost (the night was not turned on the heating in the workshop). Already at that time I realized my attitude to challenge environments to achieve what I believed in; something that will represent the norm for my artistic career as a photographer.
I became very good, to the point that I made drawings that looked like photographs. I felt ready to be covered in work as were the tattoo artists.
I worked on odd jobs of little importance, there was not much demand, and those few that there were obviously pulling on the price.
I quit after years.
I returned to working life as before, to the dream-killing routine, the dream of waking up in the morning and doing a job I like, a dream all too common to many artists.
I happened to take a solo sightseeing trip to the U.S. in August 2014.
In order not to get bored during my trip I decided to buy an entry level digital camera to document the holiday.
The holiday proved illuminating in several respects. Mainly from the spiritual one, I had opened a new world on the concept of travel.It was clear my attitude to be a landscape painter, environments naturally attracted me unlike people.
I came back from this wonderful experience with the artistic spark again lit and alive more than ever.
Inside I knew that the creative vein was going hand in hand with the adventure push. In order to take pictures in particular places I pushed myself into difficulties that did not represent anything in relation to the final result that I hoped to obtain. I risked dying of dehydration in the middle of an American desert lost in nowhere; or of frost sleeping in a cave at zero degrees at 2400 m in the Dolomites, only with clothes and no sleeping bag or tent; I have entered forbidden areas like in skyscraper yards in Dubai. All these stories could be the subject of a book that maybe a day I’ll write.
The problem is that I could satisfy my travels and my creative vein only in correspondence to the periods of vacation in which I have more time.
But in 2016, a guy in my photo club showed me some photographs of abandoned places. It was one of those things that turns on something dormant within you, an idea and a temptation that begin to come true.
He explained to me all the dynamics of research and access, of the various difficulties from many points of view. The thing fascinated me: it was something niche, exclusive and adventurous, with that hint of danger. And a few hours drive on weekends I could reach such places.
In the years to come I collected a considerable amount of photographic work.
And I still found myself thinking to myself…why not earn or even live with my art? The old desire to leave the workshop came back into my thoughts…
But the difficulties were not lacking.
Every abandoned place could represent a risk even if there is not an equal situation for all, even easy places happen where the only difficulty lies in their discovery. The abandoned places are however kept difficult to access for a matter of security (because of the danger of collapse) or to preserve them from thieves or vandals.
The classic physical difficulties: moulds, unreported holes, protruding nails and sudden collapses in the worst cases. And many brambles. Thorny thorns everywhere like last bastions in defense of the place. And pigeon droppings everywhere, sometimes real rugs.
Social dangers instead especially in old factories or public places where abandoned could live or practice shady activities.
Few are willing to wait with me for the evolution of light in the various rooms of a building, overcome by boredom. Often they are fast photographers like Japanese tourists, just happy to capture an experience.
But my determination in the challenge of having an extraordinary shot wins over the rest, as it overcomes the fear that you might have in certain environmental situations, atmosphere gloomy horror movies.
- IL FOTOGRAFO...D'AMBIENTI -
– IL FOTOGRAFO…D’AMBIENTI –
Come accennato nella biografia, la mia passione fotografica è nata con la fotografia di paesaggio e di architettura. Ho realizzato numerosi progetti fine art anche relativi ai miei viaggi. Soprattutto con l’editing, la fotografia di paesaggio ha rappresentato uno stimolo ad affinare la mia tecnica e capire l’importanza della luce ambientale per saperla imbrigliare e valorizzare al meglio nei miei scatti.
Lavoro anche come fotografo d’interni per il settore commerciale e immobiliare all’interno della provincia di Milano
I miei lavori come fotografo d’interni: https://www.fotografointernimilano.com/portfolio/
Sotto invece i miei lavori sul paesaggio:
As mentioned in the biography, my photographic passion was born with landscape photography and architecture. I have made many fine art projects also related to my travels. Especially with the editing, landscape photography has been a stimulus to refine my technique and understand the importance of environmental light to know how to harness and enhance it in my shots.
I also work as an interior photographer for the commercial and real estate sector within the province of Milan
My works as an interior photographer:
https://www.fotografointernimilano.com/portfolio/
Below some works you can visit on
As mentioned in the biography, my photographic passion was born with landscape photography and architecture. I have made many fine art projects also related to my travels. Especially with the editing, landscape photography has been a stimulus to refine my technique and understand the importance of environmental light to know how to harness and enhance it in my shots.
I also work as an interior photographer for the commercial and real estate sector within the province of Milan
My works as an interior photographer:
https://www.fotografointernimilano.com/portfolio/
Below some works you can visit on