Cattedrali rurali contains, as well as my great love for the earth, my most recent philosophical and psychological research, in its holistic fashion, in which the recovery of the deep and vital link of each individual to nature’s rhythms and ‘existence’ on earth, becomes a fundamentally important element for the full and harmonious development of human qualities.
Fuelling my work is a desire for art to assume a double function: that of telling a tale, bringing to light a story, through a voyage through the folds of the Veneto countryside, the break between rural civilisation and post-industrialism, and that of a pedagogic process. It is not my intention to denounce, highlight the loss and further stigmatise modern man’s approach to life, but to trigger a reflection, in order to open new spaces and possibilities.
In those traces of the past which have resisted the invasion of the urbanistic model adopted everywhere by small and medium sized businesses, the essential forms of rural buildings in the richness of the countryside, images whispered in the candour of a heavy fog, are forms and elements of the soul. From their portraits I try to bring out the vibration of that universal language, which once was a common language between man and nature. Sounds, smells and signs of an ancestral bond, that which is deep down and dormant inside every single one of us.
And it is this which is I try to convey through my photography: passing through the history of the rural civilisation in the Veneto countryside, to lead the observer on an internal journey, where one can meet symbols and memories of that sacred brotherhood with the earth, and the awareness of the fact that we are all part of a single living entity, an entity to live, discover and preserve.
Marco Maria Zanin was born in Padua in October 1983, and since he was a child, when he overcame a serious heart defect, he has experimented that intimate and deep relationship with life, which he would later express through his art.
Eclectic humanist, he obtained degrees in both Philosophy and Political Science, dedicating a great deal of his time to an tireless exploration of the human universe, studying various cultures, the practise and in-depth analysis of holistic disciplines, and numerous voyages to various parts of the world, always in contact with nature, the individual and his/her soul.
Photography is a privileged tool when relating with the world. Above all it becomes a path to internal investigation and self knowledge, and then, according to the vocation of the most intimate of the arts, a tool for human and social transformation.
A photographer who may be defined poet, who, through his lens, his personal use of colour and this meticulous attention to detail in the printing phases, translates onto paper the language of a great Soul, which envelops and sweetly accompanies the observer to embrace its universal message.
Awards FAAP Artist Residency, Sao Paulo, April 2013
Selection Codice MIA, Milan, March 2013
Best Portfolio of Arte Fiera Bologna, Bologna, February 2013
