Angelo Marinosci: A Man and His Camera

Local artist, writer, musician and educator Angelo Marinosci will exhibit some of his latest photography in his show titled “A Man and His Camera” from July 9 to August 1 at Studio Z in Providence. Marinosci, originally from Johnston, has been a part of the Rhode Island arts scene for five decades. This show will serve as something of a retrospective of his career; it features material never or seldom seen, and will represent a variety of different folios. Also showing work will be ceramics artist Michele James Hurley. I sat down to talk to Angelo about how the exhibit came together and other topics:

Jake Bissaro: Is there any particular theme in your current exhibit?

Angelo Marinosci: It covers about 40 years of traveling, much of it to third-world countries and war zones. It includes photos from Italy, Japan, Nicaragua and Guatemala, and consists of almost 75 pieces. I try to become like an anthropologist in a lot of ways, so the show is loaded with interesting people. I’ve always been especially interested in how children are treated around the world.

JB: You’ve said that this may be the last of your exhibitions of its kind. Is there any particular reason why?

AM: The number one reason would be my age. Not to say I don’t take pictures anymore because I continue to, but I’ve tried to continue evolving over time, and I don’t want to compromise that. Also, I’m retired from teaching college, and one of the main reasons for having these exhibitions is to connect with the people who study with me. I have had an army of students over the years for whom I’ve had big demands, and I usually like to dedicate my shows to them. That’s been the wonderful wealth of teaching: staying in contact with those who have inspired and energized me. I also have to thank Studio Z for doing such a great job putting it together. I just got a sneak peek and it looks incredible!

JB: The work in the show is all analog, but what do you think of the rise of digital photography?

AM: Yes, everything in the show is silver gelatin prints. Up until a short time ago, the process was to find the ideal image in the mind and match that on film. Now people are taking a movie’s worth of photos and picking out the good ones later. There’s no question that it has done great things for making the medium more accessible — anyone anywhere can just go outside and create something. But I like to think of digital photography as imaging; you can manipulate it later and alter the experience of the photo to fit what you’re trying to do.

JB: How did you go about going through such a large body of work to choose things for this show?

AM: I probably had to select from a half million negatives and at least 10,000 actual photographs. It’s amazing how it has accumulated over all these years! On the one hand, I want the show to have a commonality, but I didn’t want it to become monotonous for the viewer. I’m hoping people will see the same characteristics in the early and later work.

JB: What’s your creative process like?

AM: For me it’s all about finding the decisive moment. If I’m going somewhere to take photos, it could be two hours before I even shoot something, I’m just looking for the right shot. I think it can be compared to my music, where I I have over 1,000 songs posted online, practically all of them original. I don’t prerecord, practice, or write a work … I just sit down and create a stream of consciousness song. Whatever it is (photography, music or painting), I’m trying to get to the core of what I’m feeling.

JB: Is there a way you think your work should be interpreted?

AM: When you’re looking at a piece of art, it doesn’t matter what the artist intended; it’s all about what it means to you. To me, the right to choose your interpretation is the value of the human condition.

“A Man and his Camera” by Angelo Marinosci, Jr. will be at Studio Z from July 9 to August 1. Studio Z Gallery is located in The Butcher Block Mill at 25 Eagle St. Providence, RI.