MARGHERITA DI BATTISTA

Silence has neither temperature nor color. It is both full and empty, equally full of joy and sadness. It is everything and nothing.

However, silence is always deep. Margherita Di Battista seduces us through silence. In today’s world of image overload, it is harder than ever to find photographers that have the artistic skill to show us depth in the ordinary. Work of such power is as much created through patience and skill as through intuition and careful self-positioning. It requires respect for the what is at the heart of a moment. And that place is shrouded in silence. As we engage with Margharita’s work we start immediately (and quite naturally) to explore the silence of each image and keep digging deeper. And as it happens with all outward perceptions, it is at that very instance when the visual turns into something emotional and creates what Hegel called poetry of the in-between (*1). And that is also the spark that ignites new feelings.

Historically, only a select group of esteemed photographic artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe (*2) and recently Christopher Williams (*3) have produced important work that succeeds on these terms and I consider Margherita the new generation of such linage. There is not much new to discover in the overkill of visual information that we swipe through every hour. As most stylists aim for ever more obscure and random attempts to catch our ever-decreasing attention, this type of work is an island in a sea of noise. But even as we are tiring of visual fatigue, we still remain as receptive humans, always on the hunt for discovering new emotions. And as we do so, we will need to silence the algorithms or we will live to regret having missed out on experiencing the most rewarding emotions right in front of us.

I ask, where in your feed are moments that you would consider meticulous? Visuals that give promise to something of a larger value? Or provoke through depth and have the power to provide answers through exploring common feelings that connect us all? Like many complex art objects, this work is not trying to work for you. You have to work for it. And to do so, you have to value your silence and the silence of the image.

Margherita Di Battista in Days No.3

Days: Margherita, can you tell us about your artistic process?

Margherita Di Battista: It’s kind of strange for me to be called an “artist” but I appreciate it. During the last few years I have realized that what is important for me is to have constantly new stimuli to be productive and to show new things to my eyes to feel new feelings. That is very necessary. In the absence of that I find it hard to create something new.

D: There is an almost tranquil element of calm and contemplation yet a sort of ontological, inner energy in your images. What are you looking for in subjects and how much is this language instinctive vs. controlled?

MDB: Silence is a very important aspect in my photos. My work is very spontaneous, and never forced. When I try to control things, it fails and I end up feeling that something is missing in that photo. There is an Italian song I really care about that says “Insegni il silenzio in tutte le lingue del mondo” that means “You teach silence in all the languages of the world”. I think that is the best compliment.

D: Where is the threshold between personal and public statements for you?

MDB: I am a very sensitive and empathic person and I think that those two aspects are very much connected to what I said in the previous answer. Maybe these aspects are summed up in the silence I hope to convey with my photos.

D: What project or part of your work this far has been most rewarding?

MDB: It’s alway a little bit more difficult to work on commissioned projects so my favorites are the personal ones. I don’t like to call them projects. I prefer to call them just photos because for me it’s important that they tell something and move someone individually. I don’t usually build a story around my images, I like that they are freely interpreted.

D: What are you currently working on?

MDB: I’m currently working as a team with Marco and Luigi as Studio Mare, a creative studio based in Milan exploring the Mediterranean culture through research. We are focused on art, creative direction and strategic consultation for fashion brands. You can see a showcase @studiomare.co on Instagram.

*1. G.W.F Hegel “Ästhetik III - Die Poesie” Reclam 1971

*2. Six gorgeous photos that show why Robert Mapplethorpe was a modern Michelangelo, Toronto Life, 2019

*3. Not Pushing the Button: Christopher Williams’ Photography Complex, The American Institute for Architects, 2014