Anthony

Amadeo

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Anthony Amadeo

Anthony Amadeo fractures his photographic images into a state of perpetual flux, where the identity of the subject is never fixed. In his recent series, created in Paris earlier this year, repetition is used to abstract the figure, generating a charged tension. The body folds, mirrors itself, and slips between moments, layering time like a half-remembered memory.

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In the Words of the Artist

My work is an orchestrated chaos where photography, collage, and paint converge in a rebellion against conventional forms. Drawing inspiration from the disruptive spirits of Duchamp and Tzara, each piece begins with my own photographic images, torn and rearranged to defy and redefine art itself. This process is a playful yet pointed critique, blurring the lines between accident and artistry. My latest endeavor, 'ParisParis,' weaves these techniques with fashion and fragments of Paris, crafting a narrative that captures fleeting, accidental beauty.

In my creative process, the dance between control and accident is fundamental, and it's often guided by an intuitive sense of balance and harmony. While sometimes I begin with a clear intention, selecting specific prints that I feel compelled to unify into a collage, at other times, the art itself emerges from the chaos of scattered scraps.‍‍

These accidental arrangements can suggest new compositions that I hadn't consciously planned. Control comes into play when I recognize recurring lines or themes across different pieces and deliberately weave these elements together to create continuity. However, there is also a significant aspect of letting go, allowing some pieces to evolve through more destruction and reassembly. This method reflects orchestrated chaos where intuition plays a critical role. Much like capturing the perfect moment in a portrait with a single shot, I rely on my gut feeling to tell me when a collage feels just right.

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In every collection, I explore distinct themes—'ParisParis' delved into the essence of Parisian life, and 'Josephine' merged the past and future through a dialogue between vintage photographs and my polaroids. Yet, the underlying thread across all my work is the theme of 'abstraction as normality.' Growing up, my idiosyncrasies were often met with labels like 'weird,' but in my art, these peculiarities become the norm. This theme challenges conventional perceptions of normality, making the abstract a standard reality. Even in my portraiture, there's an element of the unusual, yet it's presented so naturally by the subjects that it questions our definitions of what is odd or typical.

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In 'ParisParis,' I sought to distill the essence of Paris beyond its geography, transforming it into a palpable mood and an experiential idea through collage. My time in Paris was an immersion in the city's rich tapestry of life—its dedication to craftsmanship, its unabashed pride in presentation, and its vibrant cultural nuances. Each collage in this series—comprising over 500 pieces, including photo and sound collages—aims to capture and convey the sensory overload that is uniquely Parisian.

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The interplay of fashion and photography allowed me to frame and refashion these experiences, while the addition of place-specific sounds enhances the viewer's immersion. To deepen this sensory journey, I'm also developing a signature scent for the gallery show, inspired by the mimosa flowers that are so evocative of Parisian spring.

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This project is about encapsulating the spirit and the 'skin' of Paris, using my art to reconstruct the city's atmosphere in a way that engages all senses, making the audience feel as if they are wandering through a living, breathing collage of Parisian life.

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In my creative practice, I steer away from rigid rituals to keep the door open for spontaneity and serendipity. My process thrives on the unexpected—errors, mistakes, and those kismet moments that often define the final piece.

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This approach is deeply influenced by something my grandmother used to say to me: 'In the end, it's always going to be alright.' These words guide me as I embrace each project as a journey, an adventure where too strict a ritual would limit the potential for those magical, unplanned moments that often make my work uniquely impactful. A spilled coffee stain on a collage might initially seem like a mishap, but in my world, it becomes part of the art, emblematic of the spontaneous chaos that energizes my creations.

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My art practice is fundamentally anchored in my photography, drawing extensively from an archive of over 10,000 portraits alongside travel and architectural images from around NYC. However, my collages are enriched by an eclectic assortment of materials that capture the essence of my diverse projects. Whether it’s vintage family photos, paint from my ongoing painting endeavors, or stitched elements from my sewing projects, each piece is a convergence of different mediums.

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For instance, in my 'ParisParis' project, the collages included everything I collected in Paris—cheese wrappers, receipts, tickets, baguette bags, wine corks—literally anything that I encountered. This approach ensures that my work not only represents a visual diary of my experiences but also a physical amalgamation of the various facets of my artistic journey.

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About the Artist

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Anthony Amadeo is the visionary founder of amadeo amadeo, a realm where scent, photography, and art converge into a refined sensory narrative. With seventeen years in photography and collage, nurtured by his studies at Brooks Institute, his work elegantly intertwines Italian-American heritage, the meticulous spirit of Art Deco, and the evocative charm of old Hollywood. Each creation, whether an evocative fragrance from The Amadeo Codex or a cinematic fashion portrait, acts as a narrative portal, inviting audiences to engage with the delicate interplay between memory and modernity.

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