Surimi
Painters have always held the privilege of being able to recreate the images of dreams. However, photography can also be used to represent the dream world. In fact, the gap between reality and representation, as it appears through the photographic medium, creates a short-circuit similar to the one we experience when we dream. In the same way as in dreams, in photographs reality seems inaccurate, visually deformed, but a repository of deeper emotions.
Individual fragments of reality, photographed and decontextualized, thus become collective archetypes of an imaginative world, enhanced glimpses built with pieces of reality to show a universe that we can only dream of but cannot photograph.
Francesco Merlini
(Aosta, IT, 1986)
After covering news in Italy for several years, Francesco now mainly focuses on reportage and long-term personal projects, constantly looking for a touchpoint between his photojournalistic background and his strong interest in metaphors and symbolism.
In 2016 he was chosen by the British Journal of Photography to be part of The Talent Issue: Ones to Watch and, in 2020, he was selected for the Prix HSBC pour la Photographie. In 2021, he was one of the nominees for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award.
His photos have been published in national and international magazines and newspapers, and his projects have been exhibited in several countries around the world.
