A photo book about the most authentic soul of Sardinia.
In his journey as a photographer and traveler, Gianni Rizzotti has visited and experienced places at every latitude on Earth.
A Friulian by birth and Milanese by adoption, he began his career collaborating with two masters of the glossy click, Serge Libiszewski and Gian Paolo Barbieri, and, at only 26 years old, opened his own studio. Over the years he explored the areas of fashion and advertising photography, set photography, reportage and portraiture. A master of image and figure, he collaborates with international agencies for major brands and, each time, interprets his surroundings with unique and refined taste.
In the span of his work, he has published five photo books including About Us (2011), more than 70 international stars of the custom world of Harley Davidson, and Beyond the Chef (2013), 35 Michelin-starred international chefs portrayed outside their kitchens in an ironic and surreal way.
In 2015 he presented the exhibition Shapes in action, included in the Milano PhotoFestival and Expo in the city circuit, in which he explored the female art nude with large-format works.
When he first arrived in Sardinia more than 35 years ago, it only took a few hours, the mistral, the botargo and the Vermentino to realize that he would return to this land again and again. And so it was. Three years ago, after several publishing projects, the decision was made to recount in a book, through the camera, what he has seen and what the Sardinian people and this region have conveyed to him all these years.
Beauty, pride, passion, friendship, instinct, isolation, nature and authenticity. All this is the Sardinian soul. All of this is Oru Nostru, La mia Sardegna.
Oru Nostru is a photographic project that tells about the Sardinian Land, its truest soul and its excellences with the passion and pride that have always distinguished it. Sardinia is first and foremost territory, people, tradition and culture, and this is what Gianni Rizzotti manages to convey through his images.
A photographic journey that was nurtured day after day by word of mouth from the artists and artisans that Rizzotti photographed and who suggested new faces and new places from time to time, all incredibly rich and authentic in their uniqueness. The light and the camera did the rest.
The book consists of 199 pictures in which the Sardinian people, Sardinia itself and its most authentic soul are the real protagonists. Photos of Paolo Fresu, Antonio Marras and Chiara Vigo alternate with century-old faces, silk, wood, and embroidery artisans. Inside are shots of Sa Carrela ‘e Nati in Santu Lussurgiu, the Sartiglia and events in Ottana, Mamoiada, Sant’Antioco and beyond. Completing the project are images of Sardinian food and wine excellence, such as Su Filindeu, and places of art and culture scattered throughout the region, including the archaeological site of Barumini. Finally, nature and the sea, wild and wonderful.
Oru Nostru, which has 224 pages, is a black-and-white story with a short chapter in color, those of Sardinia: the green of oil, the golden color of carasau bread, the amber-yellow of botargo, the red of saffron, and of course the shades of blue and light blue of the sea.
“It is a tribute I had to and wanted to pay to Sardinia“, says Gianni Rizzotti – “This land is a continuous surprise in places and people, still after more than 35 years. It should be discovered slowly, with its own rhythms and moments, without forcing anything“.
Oru Nostru is a book that should be leafed through with the eyes and the heart to know the true rhythms of the Sardinian Land, sometimes calmer, sometimes more impetuous.
