"THE WOMEN OF MY LIFE" - Angelo Formato
Angelo Formato (b. 1989) was born and raised in the town of Naples in southern Italy. Inspired equally by his vision of femininity and the use of creative styling, he portrays interesting characters with natural light and a pure photographic approach. Formato owes a lot of his inspiration to his family, who had a big influence on his work and shaped him both as a person and an artist. He has worked for multiple international clients and publications such as Vogue, Elle and Document Journal.
Here in conversation with FRESH EYES, Formato talks about his latest project “The Women of my Life”.
How was “The Women of my Life” born?
The project was initially just a series of images called “Occhi di ragazza” (“Girl’s Eyes” in English) and was a tribute to my beautiful grandmother. In 2017 Vogue Italia published it on their online platform and since then the project has grown and became “The Women of my Life”.
Who are the women of your life and how have you portrayed them?
My grandmother, my sister, my aunts and cousins from my mum’s side. I love taking pictures of them in places that we shared and where we lived together when growing up. I love styling them and making them feel free and beautiful.
Did your personal relationship with them influence the photos in some way?
Yes, absolutely. My grandmother had a tailoring lab where she used to make dresses together with my mum and her sisters. When I was a child I used to be surrounded by fabrics and beautiful garments, playing around sewing machines with my sister and my cousins. In most of the images they are wearing clothes that they made in the 80’s. All of them have played a big role in my life, they have helped me become the person I am today and continue to inspire me every day.
In “The Women of my Life” we can say that Naples (and its atmosphere) is one of your muses. What is your relationship with this place and how has it influenced your photographic practice?
The people of Naples and their stories are my biggest muses. Being Neapolitan and not living in Naples has become a burden. It’s like the sensation of missing a limb.
You are now based in Milan, what made you decide to leave London and go back to living in Italy?
Spending the first lockdown in London away from my family was difficult, but also a beautiful moment of personal rediscovery, introspection and awareness. During the past 9 years of living in London, I was only going back home for the holidays. After this eye-opening experience, I decided to return to Italy in September 2020. Italy is like a big mama; a beautiful and strong woman which I cannot live without.