CONTACTS
Represented by Viasaterna www.viasaterna.com
info@viasaterna.com
Studio: Via C. Gluck 48, Milano
lucamassarostudio@gmail.com
@luca_massaro @lucamassarostudio
lucamassarostudio@gmail.com
RECENT PRESS
︎ i-D UK Best Books
︎ FOAM Magazine #60 Glyph (ENG)
︎ Aperture Photobook Review (ENG)
︎ MOUSSE (ENG)
︎ Vogue Interview (ITA)
︎ Artsy
︎ ATP Interviews (ITA)
︎ Domus (ENG)
︎ i-D Portraits New York
︎ i-D Portraits Milano
BIO
Luca Massaro is an artist and photographer working with Images and Words. He studied Literatures and Communication at Università Cattolica Milano and Université Paris Sorbonne. His projects have been published internationally (Aperture, Art Paper Editions, i-D, FOAM, MOUSSE, M Le Monde, Danilo Montanari, Purple Magazine, Skinnerboox..) and exhibited in collective and solo exhibitions: among others, the Italian Cultural Institute (Montevideo), Viasaterna (Milan), MBAL (Le Locle), Gibellina Images (Gibellina), Kunsthaus Pasquart (Biel/Bienne), PhMuseum (Bologna), MAR Museum (Ravenna), Museo Degli Eremitani (Padova), BACO Contemporary Art (Bergamo), Peckham 24 (London), Matèria (Roma), Printed Matter (New York), Photo Weekend (Dusseldorf), Triennale Museum (Milano), Palazzo Del Governatore (Parma Europe Culture Capital), Fotografia Europea Festival (Reggio Emilia). His work is present in private and institutional collections, such as MBAL Museum, Regione Emilia Romagna Arte Contemporeanea, Benetton Foundation (Nascimben Prize), Fondazione Orestiadi, Istituto Italiano di Cultura Montevideo, and recently won the public commission Triennale Museum x Gibellina Images.
From 2020 he is represented by Viasaterna. The monograph "Dizionario Vol.1" (2012-2022), published in February 2023 by Art Paper Editions has been exhibited and featured internationally and was selected among the best PhotoBooks of 2023 for i-D UK, at Photo España and at Les Rencontres d’Arles.
STATEMENT
My work focuses on the invisible space that separates an image from its caption, photographs from words, in their different forms of production, translation and transmission.
I’m interested in the intrinsic duality of the photo-graphic medium, and its tie to the performative construction of identities. I’m looking for possible convergences between the new uses of photography, the creation of a cohesive body of work and its decontextualization by internet distribution and immediacy, the long tradition of image-text interplay,
Via photographs, words, sculptures, artist books, and through advertising techniques of manipulation borrowed from the urban and online accelerated mediascape – as the proliferation of backlit devices, the repetition of graphic logos and leitmotifs –, my work is an open research on the paradoxes of language, a portrait of the conflicting hybridization of iconotexts today, questioning the cultural, social and political value of the images that stick to our psyche and shared worldview.
ARTIST BOOKS
Foto Grafia - Danilo Montanari Editore, 2015
ZINES
Paintings - Emic Units, 2023
L'Aquila e La Rana - Gluqbar Editions, 2014
Ukiyo-e - Edizioni PulcinoElefante, 2014
Ukiyo-e - BooksOnLine.fr, 2013
PUBLICATIONS
PRINTED COLLECTIVE BOOKS
Metafotografia Vol.2 - Skinnerboox
222 Artisti Emergenti Su Cui Investire 2021 - Exibart Edition
Looking On - MAR Museum
2016 Sulla Nuova Fotografia Italiana - Viasaterna (curated by Fantom)
222 Artisti Emergenti Su Cui Investire 2021 - Exibart Edition
MAGAZINES
Aperture, Aperture PhotoBookReview, C41, D La Repubblica, FOAM, Flash Art, M Le Monde, Purple Magazine, Rivista Studio, Rolling Stone, Sali & Tabacchi..
ONLINE PUBLICATIONS
AnOther, Aperture, ATP, Bullett, Creative Review, Dazed, Domus, Doppiozero, HERO, i-D UK, Living Corriere, MOUSSE, Rolling Stone, SPBH, VICE, Vogue.it, W Magazine, YET, Zero..
EDUCATION
Degree in Literatures, Communication, Media at Università Cattolica Milano and Université Sorbonne Paris IV
Thesis: “Foto Grafia - il rapporto tra immagine fotografica e parola nell'era contemporanea, dalle arti visive alla comunicazione”
SELECTED COMMISSIONED WORKS
A Cold Wall, Adidas, Alla Carta, C41, Dazed Digital, D La Repubblica, Gucci x Net-A-Porter, GQ, i-D, M Le Monde, Max Mara Group, PIG Quarterly, Purple Magazine, Retrosuperfuture, Rivista Studio, Rolling Stone, Sali & Tabacchi, Vice, Vogue, W Magazine
A Cold Wall, Adidas, Alla Carta, C41, Dazed Digital, D La Repubblica, Gucci x Net-A-Porter, GQ, i-D, M Le Monde, Max Mara Group, PIG Quarterly, Purple Magazine, Retrosuperfuture, Rivista Studio, Rolling Stone, Sali & Tabacchi, Vice, Vogue, W Magazine
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024
A Spasso - Kunsthaus Pasquart Biel/Bienne
Milano - Viasaterna x Volvo Studio Milano
2023
Agorà - Gibellina Images x Triennale Milano, Sistema delle Piazze, Gibellina (with Anna Merci)
captionthis - Ph Museum Photo Days Festival
Dizionario Vol.1 - Studio Blanco Reggio Emilia
Duetto - Viasaterna Milano (with Giuseppe Chiari)
2019
See Both Sides - Viasaterna Milano
The White Room The Black Room - Spazio Duale Roma
Darkroom - Centrale Festival (curated by Marco Paltrinieri)
2018
Vietnik - Chiostri di San Domenico Reggio Emilia
Comme des Grenouilles - Edicola Radetzky Milano
La Tendenza - Marsèlleria Milano
2017
Seeing Double - Metronom Modena
2015
Foto Grafia - F4 Festival Treviso
Quasi-Quasi - Matèria Gallery Roma
PRIZES / RESIDENCIES
Prix Du Livre 2023 Shorlist – Les Rencontres d’Arles 2023
Best PhotoBooks of 2023 Photo España
PhMuseum Days 2023 Recipient
Triennale x Gibellina Images Public Commission 2022
Energie Diffuse Grant Reggio Emilia 2019
Cosmos Award shortlist - Rencontres Arles 2018
Metronom Summer Residency - "Seeing Double" 2017
Giovani Artisti Italiani - Fotografia Europea, 2016
Portfolio Review Düsseldorf - Shortlisted, 2016
Premio Francesco Fabbri - Shortlisted, 2014
Premio Nascimben - Winner U25 Prize, 2014
Premio Prina @ Triennale - Shortlisted, 2014
Confotografia, Residency - L'Aquila, 2013
Urban Center Nuoro, Residency - Nuoro, 2012
COLLECTIONS
MBAL Museum
MBAL Museum
Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Montevideo
Collezione Regione Emilia Romagna Arte Contemporanea
Fondazione Benetton
Fondazione Orestiadi
Premio Nascimben
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Yale Library
Private Collections
Enquire @ Viasaterna
Fondazione Benetton
Fondazione Orestiadi
Fondazione Orestiadi
Premio Nascimben
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Yale Library
TALKS / WORKSHOPS
2023 University Lecturer at Istituto Marangoni Milano
Triennale Museum - Art Paper EditionsTriennale Museum - Workshop Fotografia Spazio PubblicoTriennale Museum - Tonight We Are Young
Gluqbar Studio Talks - Various Workshops
Roche Portrait Photography - Milano
Workshop Immagine-Parola - Istituto Italiano di Cultura Montevideo
Captionissima Viasaterna - in conversation with Federica Chiocchetti
Vietnik Workshop & Book Launch - Chiostri Fotografia Europea
LiveStudio #3 - Galleria Civica Modena x Metronom
2016 - On New Italian Photography / Publishing - Viasaterna Milano
The Life of Vietnik - NRW-Forum Düsseldorf
Foto Grafia - Università de L'Aquila
Foto Grafia - Urban Center di Nuoro
2023 University Lecturer at Istituto Marangoni Milano
Triennale Museum - Art Paper Editions
Triennale Museum - Art Paper Editions
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023
Driving Energy - Palazzo Delle Esposizione Roma (curated by Marco Delogu)
Prix Du Livre 2023 Exhibition - Les Rencontres d’Arles
Best PhotoBooks of the Year - Photo Espana Festival Madrid
Le Plaisir Du Texte - MBAL Musée des Beaux-Arts Le Locle (curated by Federica Chiocchetti)
Driving Energy - Palazzo Delle Esposizione Roma (curated by Marco Delogu)
Prix Du Livre 2023 Exhibition - Les Rencontres d’Arles
Prix Du Livre 2023 Exhibition - Les Rencontres d’Arles
2022
Emergenze Contemporanee - Museo della Città di Rimini
Abbecedario Fotografico - Fondazione Cassa dei Risparmi di Forlì
Overview - Viasaterna Milano
2021
Istituto Italiano di Cultura - Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Montevideo Uruguay
Photo London 2021 Viasaterna Artsy Digital Booth
Abecedario d’Artista - Palazzo del Governatore Parma
2020
Photo Open Up - Museo Degli Eremitani Padova (curated by Carlo Sala)
Metafotografia - BACO Arte Contemporanea (curated by Mauro Zanchi & Sara Benaglia)
Spazio Libero - Public Billboards Reggio Emilia (curated by Ilaria Campioli & Daniele De Luigi)
2019
Printed Matter Inc. - New York
Centrale - The Others Fair Torino (curated by Luca Panaro)
Future Shock - Fonderia Napoleonica (curated by Francesca Marani & Marco Gehlhar)
Dancing in Peckham - Peckham 24 (selected by Photoworks UK, Webber Gallery & Der Greif)
Printed Matter Inc. - New York
Looking On, Sguardi e Prospettive sulla Nuova Fotografia Italiana - MAR Museum (curated by Federica Chiocchetti & Osservatorio Fotografico)
2018
Confotografia - Triennale di Milano
Mōmentum - Minimum, Comodo64 / Nesxt / Torino
Comrade Animal - Villa Vertua Milano
(Gluqbar – curated by Parasite 2.0)
Telemarket, Gluqbar - Photo Week Milano
Mōmentum, Mo[t]us Operandi - Manifesta collaterals, Palermo
Retina - Gluqbar, Milano
2017
Finissage - Twenty14 Contemporary, Milano
Narrativa / Visual Essays - Twenty14 Contemporary, Milano
Premio Francesco Fabbri - Villa Brandolini, Pieve di Soligo
2016
Sideways - Palazzo Casotti Fotografia Europea Festival Reggio Emilia (curated by Daniele De Luigi & Ilaria Campioli)
2016 On New Italian Photography - Viasaterna publishing selection (curated by Fantom)
Last but not least New Italian Photobooks - JEST Torino
2015
Little Big Press, FotoGrafia Festival - MACRO Roma (curated by Tre Terzi)
On Landscape #2 - Matèria Gallery Rome (publishing selection)
2014