A Conversation with Elena Bianca Zagari

Licosa 2023, Autoritratto

Elena Bianca Zagari is a documentary and fashion photographer who oscillates between the vibrant cities of London, Naples, and Milan. For her, photography expands vision, allowing her to delve into her surroundings. It becomes a means of recollecting, understanding, and visualizing events, emotions, and occurrences on a more profound, personal, and intimate level. Through this lens, Zagari navigates her places, sapping the profundity out of each emotion and place. Our conversation explores her background, creative approach, and thematic journeys, offering a glimpse into the captivating stories woven into each captured moment.

A: In what way were you influenced by your background when deciding that photography was the path you wanted to take?

E: I grew up in London during the beginning of my childhood and then moved to Naples around the age of 10. Ever since I was little, I was immersed in an artistic environment, regularly visiting galleries and exhibitions with my mother. Rather than a conscious decision, my journey into the arts was more of an exploration. I experimented with painting, graphic design, and fashion, but photography felt the most natural and instinctive.

Attending a math-oriented high school until the age of 18, art remained more of a hobby than a serious pursuit. I remember studying art history in school and being captivated by the vastness of the art world and the rich stories encapsulated within artworks. The more I delved into art history, the stronger my fascination grew, inspiring me to explore this realm more personally.

It was an organic evolution in response to how my background and surroundings influenced my decision to pursue photography. The exposure to art from an early age, coupled with my academic studies, fueled my passion for the visual arts. Photography emerged as the medium through which I could express myself most authentically, ultimately leading me to choose it as my dedicated path.

A: Do you think your roots are a distinctive trait of you as a person and in your works?

E: I believe that subconsciously, the years spent in Naples during my formative period have undeniably shaped the person I am today and influenced my work significantly. Particularly in the initial phase of my relocation to London, I felt a profound attachment to the city of my birth and upbringing. Much of my early work revolved around my experiences in Naples, serving as a means to recapture memories or infuse London with echoes from my Neapolitan past.

Naples differs markedly from London in terms of lifestyle and overall perspectives. Having spent my adolescent years there, I acknowledge that returning would yield a distinctly different experience. What I have undoubtedly carried forward from my upbringing is a commitment to representing my subjects in a natural and transparent light. I aim to avoid imposing my personal viewpoint excessively and strive to create work that feels authentic to me and to the individuals I photograph.

Malachi, Non Ho Paura Di Una Gonna 2022

A: In what way do you think your creative approach is different from others?

E: Art is so beautiful because it is extremely personal and rooted in an extension of anyone who creates it. Therefore, I don’t think having a particularly unique or special approach is possible. I believe anyone who is creative has a unique approach intrinsic to who they are.

If I think about my creative approach to photography, it comes naturally to me and is very instinctive. Sometimes, I will look back at a collection of photos that I have taken almost unplanned throughout time and notice that I am inclined to photograph something in particular, whether it be the sea, religious attributes, or extremely close-up portraits. Once I notice a pattern of interest toward which my gaze shifts, I look more into it, asking myself why I might feel so attracted to certain things. It all comes naturally to me when I think about projects and bodies of work. I try not to stress myself out if I don’t have anything visibly ongoing in terms of projects and instead trust myself and the process of letting things unravel.

The creative process is not about how you approach a project or body of work in particular but everything you do outside your creative space. The people I talk to, the books I read, the movies I see, the exhibitions I go to, or even certain memories I have that harnessed and built a fundamental pillar of my creative approach.

A: Your work is authentic, and your roots are visible. In what way do you combine your artistic work with your identity?

E: I believe that my work is a natural consequence of my identity, much like the work of any other artist. I articulate and showcase what I am familiar with, delving into themes that resonate with me due to my past experiences. Everything I explore, research, or feel drawn to is inevitably shaped by my personal history and heritage. Integrating my identity into my work isn't a deliberate effort; instead, it naturally permeates through.

I find the most comfort and authenticity when exploring themes and representing individuals who hold personal significance to me. Consequently, every subject I choose to address becomes a product of my identity and interests.

A: Is reading you as a person through your works and photos possible?

E: When taking photos, I inevitably feel like I am creating an extension of who I am or how I feel. However, I’m also constantly learning and growing; therefore, something I may have felt extremely close to a year ago in photographs now feels quite distant. I'm still growing as a person, so something I resonate with one day might feel completely distant to me in a month's time.

I definitely think that something is to be said about the moment I’m taking a photograph, and I feel very connected to it. However, I view my relationship with my work more as a pendant than static. I will go back to images I took years ago, really see my younger self in them, and feel very connected, but at the time I took them, I didn’t realize it.

The same goes for images that I have taken in the past year. I go back and forth on whether I like them, and how I feel about my work relates to how I feel about myself. I’m unsure if an external party could read me through my work.

Paola a Parigi, 2023

A: One of your collections is called “Non ho paura di una gonna,” which translates to “I am not afraid of a skirt.” Why do you insist on this theme? What stereotypes are you trying to fight? Are there more you would want to discuss?

E: In the body of the work 'Non Ho Paura di una Gonna,' I explore the stereotypes connected to the concept of masculinity and clothing. I believe that gender stereotypes are deeply ingrained in clothing, although I don't find this fair. Everyone should feel free to express themselves through any clothing they wear. Clothing is meant to make you feel comfortable in your skin and is essentially a fun way of expressing yourself. However, in some parts of the world, more than others, clothing becomes an element that inevitably categorizes individuals.

I am interested in how, depending on what people wear, there is accompanying judgment or opinions about their identity and sexuality. Masculinity and strength are not determined by the clothing one wears; they are qualities that run much deeper. Yet, for some reason, men are subjected to societal expectations about how they should or shouldn't behave to be considered strong. A man wearing a dress is certainly more noticeable than a woman wearing one.

I believe that the themes of gender representation and stereotypes are vast and often misrepresented. Much work still needs to be done and discussed on this matter. It is a complex issue that requires ongoing attention and dialogue.

A: What are your primary sources of inspiration as a photographer?

E: Before the thought of a photograph, there is a state of observing my surroundings and a need to preserve it. My main source of inspiration comes from my surroundings, colors, and memories, but most importantly, from people. Whenever I meet someone, something unique about them catches my eye and makes me want to photograph them. Everyone is so different from one another in the way we think and move, and there is always something distinctive in everyone I know that makes me want to capture a memory of them. The closer I feel to a person, the more I want to collect memories of them through photographs constantly.

In Zagari's photography, every frame serves as a chapter in her ongoing narrative. Her lens extends an invitation: to witness not just stories, but the dynamic, ever-unfolding journey of a person in metamorphosis. Our conversation with her last November provided a unique insight into the artist behind the lens. For those intrigued to delve deeper, Zagari’s captivating work can be explored on her Instagram @elenabiancazagari and her website https://www.elenabiancazagari.com. Both of which offer a the most complete look at her perpetual metamorphosis.