The Visible and the Apparently Visible — NSIRIES in Conversation
NSIRIES
Alessio Maria Ciacio Sicily · Bologna · Law Graduate · Instinctive PhotographyItalian photographer who grew up with the sounds of the Sicilian sea and always carries his camera. His signature: faces that are not fully visible. The contrast between the visible and the apparently visible — generating mystery, opening imagination, disorienting common sense.
"I was born and raised in Sicily so the sounds of the sea, the sunsets, and of course the soul of Sicilian people. I am very instinctive in my photographs. I often carry my camera with me because I'm always thirsty for the moments that can possibly lead me to what I call a 'worthy shot'."
"I am always inspired by the moment I have in front."
Tell us about your creative process.
"My creative process starts when I have a kind of illumination — a 6th sense that I feel inside and that allows me to create a bridge connecting my hidden inner self with the real world."
"I usually photograph faces that are not fully visible — and somehow this is becoming my signature. For me it's very interesting to generate a certain feeling of mystery within the observer."
"The contrast between visible and apparently visible generates some kind of interest or curiosity. A feeling that opens the doors of one's imagination, disorienting all common sense."
"It was a 6th sense that I feel inside and that allows me to create a bridge connecting my hidden inner self with the real world. I always photograph the moment I have in front."
How did the pandemic affect your creativity?
"Fortunately I can say it didn't affect me too much. It was definitely strange, but it opened me to new ways of expression — for example, music production."
Who is your icon of our time, and what does wellbeing mean to you?
"Greta Thunberg for me is the icon of our time. She really stands up to the failure of older generations and represents the hope for the future."
"Greg Anderson said that 'Wellness is the complete integration of body, mind and spirit. The realisation that everything we do, think, feel and believe has an effect on our wellbeing.' I share this point of view. Art, and the process of making art, is an essential part of my wellbeing — a fundamental part of my own existence."
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Read on Antakly Projects ↗Antakly Projects — originally Ninu Nina — has been in conversation with photographers, artists and creatives from across the world since 2003. NSIRIES — Alessio Maria Ciacio — is exactly the kind of instinctive, singular voice this platform was built to share.
Explore his work at nsiries.com and follow at @nsiries
And for the personal rants, opinions you didn't ask for, and the occasional existential spiral: follow me on Substack.
A feeling that opens the doors of one's imagination. ✦
