The photographer Diego Brambilla

You say that our relationship with nature changed – how did it change?

One hundred years ago our relationship with nature was something different from three hundred years ago or from what is today. In fact nature it is not something defined, whereas it is a cultural concept and as such it changes with time. Nowadays we perceive nature often romantically and separated from our “usual” environment. Nature is wilderness and it is somewhere out there often confined, for instance in parks or reserves. As a consequence of this vision we consider ourselves something separated and distinguished from nature. We are here and nature is there. But it wasn’t always like this and not for everybody. At the same time we are living in an age where humans influence nature in stronger and more pervasive way which do not have equal in history.

When did you develop your interest in this topic and the difference between real and unreal?

Real and fake is a crucial topic today. Especially with internet it is always more and more difficult to discern what has been created, forged or simply made from what has actually happened or is real. For instance when we are watching a movie we are unable to distinguish CGI from what has been shot for real. From what I remember it is something I have always been interested in.

My First Dream #15, 50×67 cm

Are there any motifs that you find difficult to capture with photography?

A good pictures never comes without struggling. It is something always valid. To me, usually, the most difficult moment is often the beginning of a new project when the experimentation brings you through multiple paths and you have to narrow it down to a single one.

My First Dream #1, 67×50 cm

You are working with photography and sculptures – which medium do you prefer and which one challenges you the most?

My main medium is photography. Sculpture is to me something always related in different way to photography. Sometimes I shoot what I have created and sometimes I mix the two disciplines, in order to create something third and a part. Therefore I perceive sculpture part of my photographic process and for me it is not separated.

Which steps of your artistic career have shaped your artistic vision and development the most so far?

Hard to reply. I feel that every step was important, and it brought me where I am now. But maybe I may say deciding to be an artist was the point of no return. In any case my artistic vision is not something fix once and for all, at the very opposite it is fluid, it changes with time and it is influenced from every experience I make. It is hard to see when you are in the middle of it, but it is easier when you look at yourself years later. In that moment it is crystal clear.