Francesco Neri: Trophy and Treasure

Francesco Neri, born in 1982 in Faenza, Northern Italy, opens a personal family album, a treasure chest ­filled with images that reflect life, its quiet and special, even magical moments, the change of generations as well as the questions of the photographer in relation to his medium. In 2008, he moved into the apartment of his late grandparents where he encountered familiar rooms and objects, which he captured in photographic interiors and still lifes. They seem to sum up the course of time, and transform it, thereby challenging the way in which one's personal perception develops, or might be constantly changing. His grandfather was a medical practitioner and, as is quite common in the region, went hunt­ing in his leisure time - just like his father. Medicine and hunting have therefore had a direct or indirect influence on Francesco Neri's profession as a photographer. The similarities of photography and hunting have often been formulated. Photography has long been a recog­nized ­instrument for observing and documenting existing facts, and has provided essential prerequisites, in a diagnostic context, for the analytical examination of what is depicted. In his photographs, taken with a large-format ­camera, Francesco Neri effectively uses these dimen­sions by combining documentary photography with poetry in a highly versatile way.

Exhibition:
Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur, Köln,
1/9/2017-28/1/2018