Antonio
Surace
1. Welcome Antonio to The Influx Gallery family. Tell us a little bit about yourself and where you are from
My name is Antonio Celea Surace I was born in a small town call Bussoleno near the border of the French and Italian alps on 14 11 1972.
In January 1989 I left Italy and moved to London where I led for 30 years.
I considered myself more English than Italian as I spent most of my life in the uk.
i moved back to italy in 2019
2. Were your family supportive of you deciding to become a photographic artist?
i am not sure if i can say that my family as been supportive ,this due the fact that since an early age i was a very difficult child who use to go always against any system or any decision of my family ,if use to think that it was the wright thing to do,today that still reflect in my images
3. Was there anything specific that you can remember that made you want to become an artist?
its the feeling of freedom that i experience ,it liberate my feelings and my emotions ,and the way i express myself towards all the wrong that is around us today ,and people pretend not to see it
4. Did your schooling or work affect your creative development in any way?
thats for sure like in say i was a very rebellious child and always going against the corruption of the system ,at school i was trying to defending the lesser once ,and always ending up to pay the consequences ,in the street the same thing and most of the time bringing back home a black eye
5. When did you first discover photography?
working on photographic set as a hairdresser
6. We love the hard hitting, controversial elements to your fine art photographic works?
What inspired you to take this path with your art?
i never been good to expressing my feeling and my emotions in writing thighs like e personal diary or memories like many people do actually like normal people do ,as i don't consider myself normal,one day i discover that my camera and the photographic paper were my way of making people understanding my feelings.
7. How do you light your photographs?
i don't particularly like working in the studio surrounded by tripods umbrella and softbox,i love to work outside and to use what light i have available.and even if i am in the studio i always try working with little light as possible ,and maybe help myself with a be of post production to create a more macabre feeling
8. Could you give us a little teaser as to the process that helps you create such fabulous conceptual art?
i am not really sure how to explain that but most of the time it's what's around me,listening to people talking about some kind of subject that helps me to create those images
9. Where do you get your inspiration and influences from?
the inspirations they come from inside my soul,it is the suffering i feel inside myself when i see people suffering and the society turn their face the other way round and by creating an image that kind of creates awareness make me feel as if i did something for those people or for the society that suffers
10. What is your favourite photographic category to work in?
E.g. street photography, studio photography, documentary ect?
street photography ,you see that street have a voice they can tell you lots of story,that you can then interpreting to create awareness
11. You delve into taboo and extreme subjects such as youth violence and paedophilia with your extraordinary oeuvre of works. We love the originality and extreme nature of your art. Pushing boundaries and asking important questions, considered taboo by society at large. What are you intentions making such controversial and powerful artworks?
i have always thought that we must have a voice to denounce ,to express our feeling and emotions ,but most of all helping other to realise what is happening out there and bring awareness and not brushing all under the carpet
12. Do you have any tips for any inspiring digital artist/photographer who is using software, or picking up a camera for the first time?
taking pictures its a life style ,its therapy,its about express your state of mind and emotions,
for me its been a life saver
don't be shy to make mistakes ,because you see this is how you create your style ,and one day that mistake will be that particular think that will make people recognise your images