Maddalena Arcelloni

Photo Courtesy Of Maddalena Arcelloni

WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW AND HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED THERE?
I’m currently based in New York. But, I’ve moved here “only” four years ago.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND RAISED?
I was born and raised in Milan, Italy. When I was 17, I spent a year in the United States as an exchange student, and I learned a bit about the non-metropolitan American culture. t was very interesting and very forming for me.

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR CITY OR HOMETOWN?
I think one of the best things in my home country is the ability to enjoy life and take your time in doing it. For example, I love having a glass of wine in the evening, sitting outside a bar or a restaurant and enjoy the company of my friends. It’s a bit different in New York, where there’s less time to relax and everyone is always running around to the next thing. On the other hand, I find Italy a bit slower and a bit more traditional when it comes to work, while New York is really a unique place for opportunities, especially in the field of photography. One has the chance to do a lot of different things and to collaborate with a lot of diverse interesting people.

WHAT WERE YOUR CHILDHOOD ASPIRATIONS?
As a child, I thought I’d study medicine and become part of Médecins sans Frontières. Then I wanted to be a psychologist. I ended up becoming a lawyer instead and then quit everything to be a photographer and moved to New York.

WHY PHOTOGRAPHER?
I first started because I love observing people and I loved capturing faces and all their different emotions. So, I was shooting more “candid” images on the streets. Then I discovered I could make my own ideas become reality and I started shooting in studio, working around a concept and enjoying every little aspect of making an idea come to life. I enjoy building something from scratch. I feel my photography is for a great part aesthetically driven (I like shapes and colors). I also like people very much. By combining the two, I started shooting editorials and portraits, where I feel that both these elements can meet in a harmonious way.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND TRAINING?
As I mentioned, I used to be a lawyer. A banking and finance lawyer. I did study photography as well, I took some classes when I was in college and when I quit my lawyer career, I studied at the International Center of Photography here in New York. I really liked that school, it gave me the chance - that I never had before - to completely immerse and dedicate myself to photography 24/7 for an entire year. Also, the program I attended was very much focused on fine art and conceptual photography. And I notice that this more conceptual approach comes into play in my fashion editorials as well.

WHAT HAS BEEN A SEMINAL EXPERIENCE?
Oh, there’s so many… I suppose that year I spent in the United States when I was 17 was one of them. I discovered a lot about myself back then. For several reasons, it wasn’t a completely pleasant year and it helped me to push my limits and discover my strengths and weaknesses. Another seminal experience is having been a lawyer, having had a full-time job. If I hadn’t ended up feeling “trapped” in it, I might not have grown the balls to completely shift to being a photographer. I think every experience in one’s life - whether good or bad, but mostly the challenging ones - helps one grow and take certain steps, while I feel that too much comfort makes one dull. That’s why it’s important to always experiment. It puts us out of our comfort zone and make us grow. I’m discovering the importance of this now more than ever before.

WHAT DOES AN AVERAGE DAY AT WORK LOOK LIKE AND WHERE DO YOU FIND INSPIRATION?
There’s not really an average day at work. Every day is filled with different things to do, whether it’s organizing a shoot, editing images or working on a new idea. Even meeting people becomes part of the job. I find inspiration in a lot of things. I usually get ideas randomly. To give you an example, I was asked to do a solo show at an art space in Milan last year, which happened to be at the headquarters of a law firm and a newspaper. I knew that the people who would see my work were going to be mainly accountants, lawyers or journalists. Instead of proposing an existing body of work, I decided to create something new. I was trying hard to get an idea and nothing would come to mind. One day, while chilling in the bedroom, I looked at my boyfriend's “Sunday” shoes (read: shiny elegant suit shoes) and I just thought I'd play with them. So, I cooked some spaghetti and replaced the shoelaces with the pasta. And there it was: I started using office-related objects (from ties to hole-punchers and pens) mixing them with everyday household objects and created a whole new surreal series (that I titled “White Collar”). That was the one I showed at the art space and I thought people coming to the exhibition would find it funny and easier to relate to. And it all started just by looking at a pair of shoes. I guess you can never tell when and how inspiration will come to you.  Even the most mundane thing can trigger it.

WHAT OR WHO HAS HAD THE MOST INFLUENCE ON YOU?
It’s hard to pinpoint exact names or things when it comes to influence. I very much like the work of some well-known photographers (such as Irving Penn, Avedon, Mapplethorpe). There’s so many others that are not as well-known whom I admire for the great eye or visual approach they have, that I always keep them in mind when I work on my own concepts and that I know have an influence on me.

HOW DOES YOUR AESTHETIC TRANSLATE IN OTHER AREAS OF YOUR LIFE?
Surely not in my dressing department. I only wear black clothes, while my pictures are way more colorful and light. I like to put colors together and I like a very minimalistic style. For example, for my living room I picked big colorful bean bags, like spots of solid colors and I build around that, keeping everything in a matching color palette with simple shapes. I like order and cleanness and spaces too, both in my images and in my everyday life. Which could qualify me as a bit of a control freak. And I can’t deny that!

WHAT DO YOU GET UP TO WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORKING?
Lately, I find myself focusing more and more on photography. Often, it’s becoming hard to tell the difference between what’s “work” or “personal pleasure”, since I enjoy very much doodling the ideas that come to my mind. When I’m not thinking of the next thing that I’m going to shoot, I like spending time with my boyfriend, my friends and to read (another great source of inspiration).

HOW DO YOU STAY MINDFUL?
I’m not sure I’m great at that. I do have my balance but I don’t really have a specific practice in place.