Attilio Solzi
‘Home Video Diary’
by Attilio Solzi, published by Void.
“If there is a task for art it is to represent its time.
Art that does not hurt anyone probably does not
serve anything.”
Attilio Solzi
Home Video Diary
The straightforward title of Attilio Solzi’s new book might not do justice to its complexity.
The reader only needs to glimpse a few pages of his work before they are flooded with questions. What is happening? What leads these people to such surreal moments? Who are they? Where do these daily life spectacle take place?
Attilio’s way of seeing it is: “Ultimately, life is a comedy played between the drama and the grotesque. Depending on where you were born, one or the other character prevails. Around me, 90% is grotesque. I start from there, but then each "actor" adds their own ideas.”
Fascinated by vernacular photography and family home videos made during holidays and parties, Solzi’s idea was to make low-quality videos that mix the contemporary view of directors such as Ulrich Seidl and the poetics of certain avant-garde photography of the 1970s.
Who is playing a character? Who is playing themselves? It is hard to figure out where reality ends and fiction begins. The strong bond between artist and the people within the images blurs such definitions. In the words of the artist: “’Video Diary’ is fiction but wants to be truer than the truth. It is a look at daily life where the border between the real and the surreal is not clear.”
‘Home Video Diary’ is definitely a book that raises more questions than answers.
‘Home Video Diary’ is a project that started about 10 years ago. It was a "time-consuming" job over the years that only ended when Attilio’s camcorder broke.
The videos have been shot in the small Italian village where Attilio lived. The people portrayed on those videos aren’t actors or models but his acquaintances, friends and neighbours... People that he knew. People who allowed him to enter into their intimate moments, and who in return were able to enter into Attilio’s peculiar universe.
The Special Edition
Limited Edition of 10
Limited edition of 10.
Designed with an exclusive neon silkscreen over-sleeve, not available in the trade edition.
The Special Edition also comes with one signed and dated archival-quality photography print. There are two different prints available (images below). Each print in an edition of 5.
Attilio Solzi
Attilio Solzi (Soresina, Italy, 1962) approach to photography is so unconventional that makes one question what is the limit of a pure documentation of a grotesque reality and the playful interaction between photographer and subject. The focus of his work is the image of the body and its representation
Sold out
16 x 22,9 cm
192 pages
Limited edition of 340 copies
Text by Achille Filipponi
Language: Italian & English
ISBN 978-618-83318-0-8
Home Video Diary
Special Edition
Limited edition of 10
Contains the book ‘Home Video Diary’
with a neon silkscreen over-sleeve.
+ 1 signed and dated archival quality photography print
Option of 2 different prints.
Each in a limited edition of 5
Featured in
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‘Home Video Diary’ by Attilio Solzi is out of print.
Listen to the ‘Home Video Diary’ playlist on Spotify.
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ENGLAND, Lanchester Library
GREECE, National Library of Greece
GREECE, Void
SWITZERLAND, De Pietri Artphilein Foundation
USA, MoMA Library
USA, Princeton University Library
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Photograph: Attilio Solzi
Text: Achille Filipponi
Design: João Linneu
Edit: Myrto Steirou, João Linneu
Printing: Gráfica Maiadouro
Binding: Gráfica Maiadouro
Language: English, Italian
Translation: Lina Tragou
Attilio Solzi © for the photographs
Achille Filipponi © for the text
Void © for this edition