KALTBLUT presents the art project: Second Life! Photography by Oreste Monaco. Models are Leona Vegas and Stefano Di Zazzo. Make up by Antonio Ciannella. Location manager is Carlo Arancio. Fashion by Lorenzo Seghezzi and Sunvitale Studio.
Second Life
The charm of decadence, of a flourishing age now past, of tangible, material and bucolic wealth. This is the theme of the project by photographer Oreste Monaco @ohrescjo in collaboration with @sicily_in_decay, in which abandoned places are brought back to life, albeit for a few moments, places in the Italian hinterland with a history that is given a second chance.
Like Kintsugi, where the cracks in the broken vase are filled with gold, the subject performs actions within the space, giving it back life and value. The artistic project involves different subjects and locations. The subject of this shoot is Leona Vegas, a drag performer from Milan, the testimony of a generation freer from all gender rules.
The location is secret, an abandoned aristocratic palace called ‘Il Palazzo D’Oro’ by Urbex fans in Lombardy.
The aim of this photographic project is to bring back to life abandoned places on the Italian landscape that are full of beauty, a decadent beauty that recalls a lost golden age. The photos depict contemporary subjects, representing our society in all its diversity, creating timeless stories where the past meets today’s beauty.
These abandoned places, full of enchantment and beauty are a metaphor for ourselves. They represent our dreams, our passions that are often left to their own devices, in a corner of our minds. It is up to us to bring light back into the most beautiful and abandoned places of our being.
Photography by Oreste Monaco / www.orestemonaco.com / Instagram: @ohrescjo
Location manager is Carlo Arancio / Instagram: @sicily_in_decay
Model is Leona Vegas / Instagram: @leona_vegas
Make up by Antonio Ciannella / Instagram: @_vegasboyfriend_
Model is Stefano Di Zazzo / Instagram: @stefanodizazzo
Assistant is Angela Ranieri / Instagram: @missangier
Fashion Brands used are Lorenzo Seghezzi @lorenzoseghezzi / Sunvitale Studio @sunvitalestudio
“My name is Oreste Monaco, I am an art director, photographer and video maker. I’m 29, I was born in Catania, Sicily, my origins have certainly influenced my aesthetic as a designer but it was in Milan that I trained in advertising.
After Milan, I lived in Barcelona and Madrid for a total of 6 years working as an art director, photographer and videomaker both in an agency and as a freelancer.
After the pandemic I decided to return to Sicily to reflect on my artistic trajectory. Now I teach in a communication academy while I carry on my artistic projects and work as a fashion photographer between Milan and Catania.
In my images you can glimpse a kind of nostalgia, of romanticism, I am very inspired by Pre-Raphaelite painters and by my subjects to represent their stories, even if the shooting is constructed and not a reportage, I want the final image to be consistent and cohesive.”
