Speaking to Honaronline, Salucci, who is a lover of marine sports and diving, is displaying a collection of his 15 marine photos at the exhibition that opened on Friday. He says he has always been attracted to the element of water, which he uses as a source of inspiration for his artworks. The exhibit that will be running for 10 days is organized under the auspices of the Embassy of Italy in Tehran.
Born in Rome, Salucci says he is using his photography to call on people to save the world and its natural habitat: I first began taking pictures of nature and historical buildings, with no artistic vision in mind. I only recently took a course in photography. I have studied medicine at university. I began my professional work as photographer five years ago. I have had exhibitions in Italy and this is my first time having one abroad.
On why he chose Iran as a venue for his first international exhibition, he says: Iranian art and culture, as well as civilization have always fascinated me. You can only find a handful of countries that have such a rich and fascinating heritage. Iranians pay a lot of attention to art and I wanted to connect with them. I have two other photography collections. And when the time is right I will show them to my audiences. My third collection is still incomplete. However, I won’t just exhibit it anywhere.
Salucci goes on to talk about the art of photography and how he wants to make his work look understandable and complete. His beautiful photographic illustrations in both black-and-white and color, presents the world of photography to audiences, seeking to make a personal statement through the medium of photography. Without talking down to anyone, he presents techniques for both traditional and digital approaches. Yet he goes well beyond the technical, as he delves deeply into the philosophical, expressive, and creative aspects of photography so often avoided in other exhibitions.
He says water is recognized as one of the finest elements in his first collection of photography: It is truly the resource of choice for the thinking photographer. It is mostly surreal. When the sun hits the surface of water it stimulates your imagination like a real optical phenomenon. It’s similar to a mirage in desert - a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes from the Latin mirari meaning to look at, to wonder at. This is the same root as for mirror and to admire.
About his second photography collection, he says: It is titled Flower. I have taken pictures from the depths of the sea. I took them while on the Stromboli, a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of the three active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily. The volcano has erupted many times and is constantly active with minor eruptions, often visible from many points on the island and from the surrounding sea, giving rise to the island's nickname Lighthouse of the Mediterranean. I went down there many times under the sea to show its beauty and depths through my pictures and the art of photography.
On whether he does Photoshop his pictures, he says: I pretty much like to be known as an artist rather than a photographer. For me, there are no boundaries between Photoshop and photography. You can do whatever suits your imagination. The whole idea for me is to transfer some valuable messages to my audiences. I always Photoshop my works to give them better looks and colors. I have put on display some of my finest works in the Tehran exhibition, using Sony 100 camera. The message of my Underworld exhibition is that you can also know yourself better if you delve into the deep, the depths of your character.
On his third collection, titled Dystopia, Salucci says: As you now, a dystopia is a community or society that is undesirable or frightening. It is translated as not-good place and is an antonym of utopia, a blueprint for an ideal society with minimal crime, violence and poverty. Dystopian societies appear in many of my works, particularly in photographs taken from historical buildings, ruins, and sites. These photographic works are characterized by dehumanization, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society. Sadly enough, we are somehow destroying our world heritage, whereas we should save it. In my photographs taken from water I have asked each and every human being living on planet earth to help me save the world heritage sites.