Since we first appeared as a species, we have been telling our stories using the tools at our disposal: cave drawings, stone carvings, manuscripts, and then Gutenberg, right through to the increasingly refined instruments of today. Our epoch is awash with images. Information bombards us continually via our screens, and in real time we let our nearest and dearest know where we are and who we are with by means of selfies.
A photograph is worth a thousand words, and so I am delighted by this new initiative on the part of Carlo Mari, a highly accomplished professional who has already used his talent in partnership with the Arma dei Carabinieri, working with the Carabinieri in Milan on a book of photographs shot during lockdown.
I very much like the fact that the project focuses on Beauty, which is here interpreted in a way that goes beyond mere aesthetics. In the words of the ancient Greeks, who brought so much to our civilisation, kalo`s kai agatho`s (what is beautiful is also good).
The selection of images you can admire on these pages seems to echo the same concept. The posture and expressions of the Carabinieri portrayed here by the author – as well as the evident care they take over their appearance and their pride in their uniforms – all have something to say to us.
They convey emotions and feelings. They speak of a commitment that connotes absolute dedication, a love for the job, and enthusiasm about working for a nationwide organisation at the service of the population. They reflect our identity, which – as encapsulated by the subtitle of this book – has remained true to itself, albeit having been on a long journey that is still driving us tirelessly towards the future.
We are “timeless”, because our closeness to the citizens, the support that our territorial Commands – in synergy with all of the other departments of the organisation – offer the people day in, day out, cannot change.
We remain “loyal throughout the centuries” because an institutional bulwark cannot alter its own infrastructure. The fate of the column is bound up with that of the building it supports; the slightest movement would compromise the stability of the whole. What we have been for the past 207 years, and what we want to continue to be, is a solid pillar for the wonderful construction that our forefathers called Italy.
Every shot in this book is a thank you to those who perform their duties with sacrifice and diligence. And so, it falls to me, as a representative of the Institution, to respond to such a generous and highly appreciated tribute. I would like to extend my gratitude to the author, on behalf of all those featured in (and the many absent from) this collection, who every day, silently, build our safety.
Teo Luzi
General Commander of the Arma dei Carabinieri
Ferruccio de Bortoli
The beauty of a great story, like that of the Arma dei Carabinieri, is brought to the fore in the images of a great photographer. Carlo Mari’s shots are both a tribute and a testament. They are a tribute because they encapsulate and interpret a general sentiment: the necessary gratitude we feel for the work done, day in, day out, by an armed force at the service of the country. And they are also a testament because they document just how many things the Carabinieri do, and how many different aspects of Italian national life they deal with. Even the most well-informed of readers will find themselves surprised. None of us can say that we are familiar with all of the operations carried out by the various parts of the Arma. From missions overseas to the safeguarding and recovery of works of art, amid Alpine snows and at the bottom of the ocean. There is no task into which the Carabinieri do not provide, directly or indirectly, their input in terms of knowledge, technical skills and humanity.
It is not just about security; or rather, security is guaranteed in myriad different ways, some of them quite unimaginable. During the pandemic, to cite one example amongst many, right across Italy the Carabinieri provided support to the elderly living alone and the sick, perhaps with just a simple telephone call, a word of comfort. Often bringing them their shopping or their pension during days when leaving the house was not recommended and was dangerous. We can say that this book features the first post-pandemic reportage, the most up-to-date journey through the universe of the Arma. To give another example, the fact that technology is profoundly altering the service emerges clearly here. Dangers are multiplying on the web; cybersecurity already constitutes a new, dense frontier of offences that just a few years ago would have been unthinkable. The image of the Carabinieri that is evinced here is one of constant commitment and meticulous preparation.
Mari deploys an array of photographic techniques. Action and adventure are present and correct. He captures the attractiveness of the full dress uniforms, which embody all the majesty of the Arma’s traditions. There is the emotional bond that every Carabiniere feels throughout their entire life towards the institution that they have served. Those who have been discharged feel the duty to make themselves useful through a plethora of activities. Other examples: civil defence or basic, benevolent professional support, without which many public events, in this dramatic period, just would not have taken place. The technique of the posed portrait perhaps stiffens faces and makes gazes look a little unnatural, but it also transmits perfectly the sense of belonging and the pride taken in being a part of something. These are women and men of the Arma who wear different uniforms, taking on the challenges posed by every set of climatic conditions, but remain themselves very much. Behind their eyes, we can glimpse flashes of family life, of normality, at times hard to reconcile with the demands of service. They risk their lives and all too often lose them. They are heroic protagonists in a time-honoured, illustrious story, over the course of which – as in any tale of courage and dedication – mistakes have been made. The greatness of an institution lies, in part, in its willingness to admit those mistakes and correct them. The people portrayed here do not speak. They express themselves through their missions. As we read, look at and browse through this book, thanks to Carlo Mari’s shots we are afforded the opportunity as Italian citizens to say, quite simply, to the Carabinieri: “Thank you”.
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This new photographic experience has led me to immerse myself in a reality that I had started to become acquainted with during the production of the previous book, IO Milano. It came as a further surprise to find myself attracted to and fascinated by this world so rich in extreme nuances, at times reminiscent of a fairy-tale. My work was made possible thanks to many people who believed in what I could do, and who helped me with both body and soul. The full list would be exceptionally long, so I shall limit myself to thanking the Carabinieri as represented by General Commander Teo Luzi, my publisher Massimo Vitta Zelman – along with all of the staff, for their professionalism and patience – and Michele Coppola representing Intesa Sanpaolo. My studio has supported me with great determination and passion; special thanks must go to Silvia Pisani, who co-ordinated the project, to Luca Rossato for his precious and laborious on-site photographic assistance, and to my son CarloAlberto for his underwater support.
I extend a heartfelt vote of thanks to everyone
Carlo Mari.
“Forty years of wide-ranging photographic experiences, all encapsulated in this project, concentrated into a few months. I had to bring to bear all of my expertise, taking in everything from reportage photography to studio photography, using all manner of light conditions, sometimes verging on cinematography. It was a gamble that, without the help and warm, collaborative reception given to me by the members of the Arma, at all ranks, would not have paid off. As it turned out, I was able to describe this organisation, which not everyone knows a great deal about. For me, too, it was a surprise, and a pleasant one at that, which made me proud to be Italian. I encountered exceptional people, who are very well-prepared for dealing with the most extreme and dangerous of situations, but first and foremost they are people who are by our side, always. These are some of the things I wanted to capture, the people in the Arma and the beauty of their uniforms, their cutting-edge methods, without neglecting their courage...”
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The two of us leaf through this book, one next to the other: together. From the beginning we knew that it was a work on film: “real photography”, one might say; “as it used to be”, others could say. It is certainly not nostalgia that emerges from the images, nor it is a taste of retro. We say the shot is the winner: that moment which has been thought up, sought and brought to life, even up from the abyss. Not surprisingly, at a certain point the water disappears: as an element, certainly not because of the context.
A center of attention emerges from each page, a point from which it is possible to unravel a story: one’s own, that of the observer. We close the book, place our hands on it. We look at each other and, without saying a word, we reopen it to the first page. We are not alone: the author, Carlo Mari, has accompanied us through to the last kilometer of a journey in black & white, leaving us the surprise of discovery, the intimate discovery of each of us. Because photography has to suggest, to incite, certainly not make clear, explicit revelations. Only in this way is wonder born in the beholder and, browsing the volume once again, the surprise has increased.
The details, the contexts have emerged, those elements which punctuate: almost like a counterpoint to a pressing and decisive rhythm. Yes, that’s it: an almost musical harmony emerges from the browsed pages. Serious, majestic tones alternate with a penetrating and continuous treble. Large and small, wide and narrow, vast and minute, they find their own alternation, almost indispensable. We talked about water: it is there, it is perceptible, it could not be otherwise; but it does its job. It suspends, elevates, caresses, like a veil of wind. The rest is fantasy, ours, accompanied by Carlo’s.
There were two of us browsing through the book: Gianni Berengo Gardin and I. “Bello” he said, but we knew from the beginning that this would be the verdict. Black and white was the accomplice, perhaps even the analogical source; but the narrative, the story, has won above everything else. As Steichen said: “Photography’s mission is to narrate the man to man and every man to himself.” Carlo continually, obstinately applies this principle, wherever he is, without difficulty.
It is a merit, it is photography.
Mosè Franchi
The book is available in only 100 copies, now in 3 different versions
The diver dips to see, the freediver dips to look inside.
It is with this expression that I answered divers that asked me what I felt to dive into the sea holding the breath!
I added that if you descend under water with a scuba, you can take a picture to show to your friends what you see below, in the Blue; in apnoea the feelings that pervade you are so unique and intimate that they cannot be put on a piece of paper! They are mine alone, no one will ever understand.
Well, after looking “deeply” Secret love I must change my mind: through the images of the author really strong, live and palpable emotions emerge.
Carlo didn’t taken photo for imprint the image of nature; he decided to take that specific photo, with that particular subject, with those precise shades of light in that precise moment because it was his state of mind in that precise moment, it was what he was strongly feeling in that instant.
The choice of black and white fits in this context: it is not the magic of colors that only the nature of sea is able to burst, but it is the image itself that excites and recalls unique sensations.
I’m thinking: If Carlo began to practice freediving, who knows which extraordinary images would be able to feel, to thrust out, to imprint!
Maybe one day we will also be able to see it.
In the meantime, I’m going to dive into Secret Love.
Umberto Pelizzari
Everything comes from the sea or from the Seas...
My family's unbridled passion for the sea has been the launch pad of my professional career. The sea taught me many things, forged my character, trained my eyes to be attentive and curious, taught my instinctive spirit to evaluate before acting, pushed my imagination to research and tell emotions that go beyond my expectations.
Beyond each wave there is another one and it is never the same as the one that came first, beyond every rock there is a surprise, beyond the darkness of depth there is the color of life. The sea is an infinite well of emotions and my being needs it tremendously. I have to live them and when I can, I tell them with all the enthusiasm I felt. Years ago I wrote a lot about the sea for different magazines, but the camera was the most appropriate means to satisfy my desire of telling. The camera, my life companion as well as my adventure.
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A book of emotional portraits in black and white, a hymn to life, survival and work. Art photography where the subjects, workers and ordinary people, proudly show their conquest of the day. They are the fishermen and frequenters of Dar Es Saalam fish market in Tanzania, one of the most important of the Indian Ocean. About 20.000 people attend every day this extraordinary place.
“I am happy when I am able to call it a day in the very early hours of new day”, says one of the fisherman. “When I manage to go back home with good fish for my family and sometimes a little money, I thank God. I need nothing more, my life is this market.”
Hand signed by the author
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Distributed in bookshops in Italy from January 2019.
Distributed in USA, Canada, Central & South America by ARTBOOK from June 2019 | D.A.P. 75, Broad Street Suite 630, New York, NY 10004, USA
Distributed elsewhere in the world from June 2019 by Thames and Hudson ltd., 181a High Holborn, London WC1V 7QX, United Kingdom.
All the photographs in this book are available FineArt printed in different sizes and limited edition with certificate.
When, with great clarity of vision, Carlo Mari proposed that I assist him in creating a photographic essay of the city of Milan at the height of its exposure to the attack by a threat as invisible as it was insidious,..I failed to appreciate, anywhere near as much as I should have, the depth of what he had in mind ...But I had got it wrong. It was necessary to bear witness....
..Today, as things have eased down, I admire the excellent work he did and I am grateful for his intuition and the skill he demonstrated in offering us a living testament to what was a very strenuous period, which his artistic shots capture better than any written commentary could ever do thanks to their flowing simplicity.
This book is unusual in that it shows how, during this extremely delicate period, the Carabinieri did not keep the city under control – rather, they accompanied it. The photos depict a city that looks empty and alone, yet it is just an “interrupted” city...These photographs indelibly portray people putting their lives on the line with ordinary courage, individuals doing their jobs, day after day, in circumstances that could not have been less ordinary.
Gaetano Angelo Maruccia
Lieutenant General
Vice Commander General of the Carabinieri
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I could hear the sound of my footsteps. The sound of my footsteps and my laboured breathing through the facemask, breaths short and tense because of my toing and froing across the great empty spaces of a reality that was surreal...or real, imaginary, science fiction, but still absolutely true, present...The city, at times detested for its overblown frenzy and accelerated vitality, is now at a standstill, muffled. As though it were all there for me alone. A fluffy dream, one of those dreams that make you feel at peace and give you a good night’s sleep. But then the awakening is rude: it was all just a dream and the reality is quite different, the real Milan is alive and always in a hurry.
This book is a delightful, fluffy dream, which for a moment allows us to discover a beautiful city, a city that has been granted a short lull to show itself in all of its greatness, in absolute silence.
Carlo Mari
Milan, April 2020
Distribuito nelle librerie in Italia da fine Settembre 2020.
Tutte le fotografie di questo libro sono disponibili stampate FineArt in differenti formati e in edizione limitata con certificato.
SEDUZIONI - Animal Man
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Il rapporto tra uomo e donna è un eterno gioco, definito da tensioni erotiche e profondità di sentimenti, amore e armonia, seduzione dei sensi e schiavitù concupiscente. Dedizione e sopraffazione si alternano di continuo, come altrettanti modi di giocare il gioco del desiderio.
Il fotografo Carlo Mari ha puntato l’obiettivo su molteplici variazioni della passione. Nelle sequenze di immagini, a colori e in bianco e nero, che compongono questo libro, egli cattura tanto gli aspetti animaleschi, governati dall’istinto, quanto quelli civilizzati, artefatti, delle relazioni umane. Immagini dai colori sgargianti fanno apparire la donna - nuda o vestita - una seduttrice sbagliata, che si serve di accessori alla moda o di ornamenti etnici nello stesso modo in cui usa il suo corpo.
Dall’altra parte c'è l’uomo, rappresentato con maschere e armi che ne evocano la parte animalesca, legata all’istinto. Reciproci tentativi di soggiogare l’altro sesso si alternano a sequenze della passione e dell’armonia, che conducono infine al segreto di ogni desiderio e di ogni sensualità: un bambino, come inizio di una nuova vita.
Le fotografie di Carlo Mari sono accompagnate da una prefazione del dott. Alessandro Magnanensi.
In sintonia con le citazioni di autori di fame internazionale - da Martin Walser a Michael Houellebecq, da Zeruya Shalev a BenoÎte Groult - che fanno da sfondo alle singole sequenze, il testo di Magnanensi sottolinea la dimensione esistenziale del desiderio, in cui risiedono il senso e la fascinazione dell’eterno gioco.
Un'opulenta rassegna sulle variazioni della seduzione e sui segreti del corpo umano.