Davide Saleri is a photographer and filmmaker from Milan. His every photo is part of a greater narrative from his eerie psychedelic universe. And he is lucky enough to be able to create based on what surrounds and stimulates him.
Your photographs are very cinematic. Was that always your intention?
I really appreciate that my work gives you that impression, I’m not sure that giving a cinematic feeling to my photography is exactly what I’m going for or my explicit intention. But I do guess it’s something that comes on its own, since most of the time I shoot, even if it’s just a single photo, there’s always a story, a concept, or a feeling behind that I want to communicate. Probably that’s where this perception of every photo being part of a greater narrative stems from.
There is also an air of mystery or horror in your work. What is your favorite horror movie? Or type of movie?
I wouldn’t know how to choose my favorite movie, the last horror film that I really liked was Guadagnino’s Suspiria. And I can’t answer my favorite genre either, but the films that touched me most are all very atmospheric, poetic, reflective, and intentionally ambiguous. And if there is a bit of psychedelia all the better.
Your film work is beautiful. What would you shoot if you were making a feature movie?
Thank you very much! I have an idea for this eerie and psychedelic film, that came to me by digging into mountain legends (and related historical facts) of the place my father comes from, which I would like really to bring to life one day.
How much does your daily life resemble your work? Where do you get inspiration from?
My work and my life do have things in common. I build my art based on what surrounds me and stimulates me, what I do is try to portray how I see, feel and perceive things.
I vent those feelings in art, whether it’s photography or video, but also in composing music or painting.
I’m lucky enough not to have a routine and stay inspired by what happens to me without ending up in the limbo of tedium. Other art is still another great source of inspiration: paintings, books, poetry and the same goes for places, dreams…
Is there anything you would never agree to photograph?
Probably the things I’m least attracted to are the uninspiring ones, already seen, with a lack of perspective and that feel empty.
What would you like to work on next?
I’m particularly excited about one of the projects I’m working on right now. I’m about to shoot this video that’s going to be pretty dirty, hazy, and impulsive. I still don’t know if something nice will come out of it because it is something that will gradually form, for which I want to work on using mainly my instinct. But I can’t wait to start filming.
IG: @davidesaleri
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