Aldo Sessa Archive 1958–2018: Sixty Years of Images 2018
Bilingual edition, Spanish/English
Text: Victoria Noorthoorn. Includes an interview with the artist.
Graphic Design: Eduardo Rey
Translations: Ian Barnett and Kit Maude
280 pages Format: 21 cm x 24 cm ISBN 978-987-673-279-6
This book is a document of the work conducted by the Museo de Arte Moderno for the exhibition, Aldo Sessa Archive 1958–2018: Sixty Years of Images. Intense exploration of the photographer’s archive made possible an unexpected journey along the endless pathways of his oeuvre, and his many interests and investigations, to reveal a gaze built up from a tireless desire to go beyond, using the technical possibilities of the different cameras of the day. Alongside the visual journey provided by this exhaustive research, there is an interview, in which the artist discusses his technical and aesthetic ideas, and a complete biography.
‘For months, the Moderno took on a real challenge, scouring some 800,000 images from the seemingly limitless Sessa Archive—from negatives and contact sheets, to analog and digital prints—and, jointly with the artist, making a detailed selection of 700 photographs taken between 1958 and the present day. This intensive exploration of the archive led us to find an unexpected path through the infinity of possible pathways opened up by his œuvre, and his myriad interests and experiments spanning sixty years of artistic production. His archive reveals how his gaze was built up through an unswerving desire to improve upon his abilities and exhaust the technical possibilities offered by different cameras throughout history. Over the course of this journey, Sessa has shown himself to be an experimenter with the image, someone capable of testing to the limit the possibilities offered by each photo and of being transformed by each situation he chooses to capture. ’
Victoria Noorthoorn
‘Photography is somewhat solitary, but I feel good alone, because I can see the light and observe the shadows and that makes me happy. I always feel an urge to pick up my camera, to be thinking about or inventing something new. That experimentation is necessary and fundamental. It’s where you need to begin, without worrying about making a mistake (besides, you can always throw your mistakes away without anyone seeing). Probably, a photographer who doesn’t experiment right from the first, won’t ever do it again. That would be like letting a great photo pass you by because you were reading the manual. Your worst photo is the one you never take.’
Aldo Sessa
The exhibition Aldo Sessa Archive 1958–2018: Sixty Years of Images was presented at the museum from 21 March until 27 May 2018.
