In anticipation of this Wednesday's artist event with Sebastian Magnani, we thought we would ask him a few questions about his work, inspiration and what's next.
Scroll down for our Q&A with photographer Sebastian Magnani, and don't miss meeting him in-person this Wednesday from 6-8PM at the gallery.
We hope you enjoy!
Your LUMAS team
FULL INTERVIEW
Q. Growing up in Switzerland, was Batman one of your favourite characters, or did that come later in life?
A. I always loved the Batman movies, but I never asked myself in my early years, “which superhero is the coolest?” As an adult, I chose him because he’s moody, dark, strong, sharp minded, mysterious and I love his ears, which connect him visually to the animal world that I really love.
Q. Before becoming a photographer, you worked in creative advertising. Can you tell us what led you to make a career change?
A. I love to be the decision-maker and independent, not being influenced by someone over me. I became an artist while looking for a career allows me to handle an entire project myself and create something personal.
Q. How did your previous work experience in advertising impact you as a photographer?
A. In advertising, you always start out from a client perspective, incorporating visual concepts before having a photographer shoot the campaign. But, as an artist you’re in charge of the whole process.
Q. How did the idea for the Daily Bat series come to you?
A. I always made projects aside from my work as a portrait photographer. At one point, my girlfriend asked me who the coolest superhero was in my opinion. That’s when I started to bring the character of Batman into real life, daily situations far away from fighting criminals.
Q. You have previous series of work that garnered success, such as your Reflections and Underdog works, but why do you think the Daily Bat series has really resonated with people across the globe?
A. I think during the pandemic a lot of people were yearning to do normal things in life. So, when all was shut down my Batman works enhanced the everyday aspects of life we were missing.
Q. What can we expect next from you as an artist?
A. I would love to play more with unusual interactions, where I take something known and replace it with something unusual. I love to create new spaces, new worlds. As an artist, I have tons of ideas, but also my Batman list is too long!
