Taking Footage – Making Footage

Photographer, photojournalist, movie maker, and artist: beginning July ninth, the range of his oeuvre shall be revealed within the exhibition Taking Footage – Making Footage. Alberto Venzago is amongst Switzerland’s nice photographers. Though he now lives again in Zurich, he has been a globetrotter for many of his life. He has lived on numerous continents, with restlessness being the each day norm for a few years.

Venzago got down to change the world together with his Leica. Whether or not photographing the Yakuza in Japan, revolution in Iran, little one prostitution in Manila, voodoo in Africa or portraits of celebrities in Zurich, Venzago switched effortlessly between totally different fields of the medium. Over the various a long time of his profession, his photographic cosmos has included reportage, documentary, business and staged work, in addition to movie. We spoke with him about his work and his life.

It’s, in reality, wonderful that that is the primary time {that a} complete retrospective of your work is on show…
Sure; though I don’t just like the phrase “retrospective” a lot – it sounds an excessive amount of like step one in direction of an obituary.

However why has it taken so lengthy on your life’s work to be granted this large exhibition?
I all the time spent my time trying ahead. I by no means had time to look in my archives and undergo the negatives and slides. The subsequent challenge was all the time extra vital. In reality, I used to be all the time on the transfer. I lived in Australia for 2 years and Tokyo for 5; practically ten in New York Metropolis. I returned to Africa, repeatedly. I made movies. Switzerland all the time figured as an island the place I might recuperate from the world. And now, eventually, I’ve had the time to have a look at every little thing once more, to organise and digitise my work. Because of the journey restrictions imposed by covid, and an extended 12 months of labor, every little thing is now practically prepared. Sitting in entrance of all the images, the thought of constructing a e book once more emerged – a e book that might be extra like a kaleidoscope, made up of all of the items of my work. After which, in a really synchronistic method, I used to be approached by the museum – I can solely as soon as once more thank the voodoo gods for that.

You could have taken a whole bunch of hundreds of images. The choice for the exhibition and accompanying catalogue reveals your extra vital topics; but additionally contains many footage unpublished as but. Can you continue to bear in mind the very first image you took?
I used to be all the time an autodidact. I started to slowly really feel my means into it, once I was fifteen. I photographed the women within the neighbourhood. Later I took footage of bands. My first fee was for the Swiss youth journal Pop, which was much like Bravo in Germany. I used to be completely focussed on Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and the Stones; I used to be totally fascinated by that life-style. I skilled the ability of images; it grew to become a door opener to the world. And I had entry to the musicians, as a result of they realised that I understood one thing about music.

Nevertheless, your life had revolved round classical music as much as that time…
Sure, I grew up in a musical household. My Italian father was an architect and my mom got here from a German household of actors and artists. My father was captivated with taking part in violin, and we carried out as a trio, with my two 12 months older brother Mario on the piano. I performed clarinet and studied on the conservatory. Nevertheless, a bike accident put an finish to my profession. I needed to rethink every little thing, which I now take into account a stroke of fine luck. My brother grew to become a conductor. My movies are about music; I’ve accompanied many orchestras, in addition to my brother. Consequently, I’m able to transfer between each worlds, which all the time delights me. To at the present time, music is without doubt one of the nice driving forces in my life.

What occurred together with your images after the accident?
It was very late once I truly began to take images significantly. It was solely once I emigrated, as a result of I didn’t wish to go to the army service; and in addition to not jail. I used to be first in Australia; then I went to Japan, passing by way of Timor and Bali. I step by step realised that images was greater than a pastime. I grew to become extra critical, dedicated, and my life as a “involved photographer” started.

Which reportage from that period is most vital to you?
The Iran reportage was very impactful. That was the place I recognised my signature for the primary time. I needed to do a narrative concerning the Islamic Revolution, from the attitude of these affected, moderately than that of the Western media. The danger was huge; however then, I received the ICP Infinity Award and have become a Magnum nominee.

With a Leica?
Sure. I purchased my first Leica shortly earlier than my time with Magnum Pictures. Afterward, the Leica M6 was to change into my working instrument. I really like Leicas. They’re small, sturdy, and the lenses are sensible. These days, I all the time have a Q2 available; earlier on, it was the M6.

One in every of your finest identified collection, which you photographed with the M6, is the great reportage on the Japanese mafia – the Yakuza. How did you handle to realize the group’s belief?
I used to be all the time fascinated by darkness; and in Tokyo I noticed these darkish Mercedes limousines. Then there have been the gangsters, who appeared like one thing out of an American movie from the fifties. I established the primary contact after six months. I labored on the collection for over 5 years. On the time, I used to be the one photographer to get so near the Yakuza – a hippie from Switzerland, nothing much less. A Japanese individual wouldn’t have been ready to do this; however, as a foreigner, I used to be capable of. Generally, a thousand members met in a room or attended a funeral, when the varied clans got here collectively, I used to be all the time the one non-Japanese individual there. They preferred me. I had lengthy hair and all the time had fairly women with me. I used to be, fairly merely, totally different. Possibly moderately like a canine on a lead, who’s allowed to be all over the place; so shut that they now not paid me any consideration. With the Leica, taking discrete images was by no means an issue.

Did the Yakuza wish to see the images, or get copies themselves?
I all the time introduced footage with me; one thing I in any other case by no means do. They have been lovely silver-gelatin prints that I had made in a laboratory in Paris. However they by no means went over effectively. It was solely once I photographed the Yakuza in large-format and studio lighting that they have been happy. That’s the way in which they preferred to see themselves.

How did the change come about, shifting from photojournalism to free work; from “image taking” to “image making”?
There was nothing however this stressed life. Resorts; by no means having time to linger wherever. I needed to alter the world by way of my footage; at occasions wishing my M6 was a loaded Colt, once I photographed essentially the most horrible issues. However typically nobody printed them. I got here to grasp “C’est pas un picture juste – ce juste une picture” (It’s not a simply image – it’s only a image). So then I appeared for my very own topics.

You additionally had nice success as a business photographer.
Promoting allowed me to finance the massive reportages. That was nice, to be paid 100 occasions higher for ads, which appeared like photojournalism on the time. I all the time knew it was only a means to an finish; by no means the aim of life. The key was to not let your self be seduced; to not change into a slave to your individual creativity.

Do you’ve gotten a photographic want that you’ve got but to fulfil?
Oh, that’s tough; I don’t know. There are nonetheless so many concepts…

Properly, to start out with we’ve your work within the exhibition and {the catalogue}. Many thanks on your time.

Alberto Venzago was born in Zurich on February 10, 1950. After learning Remedial Training and Clarinet, he grew to become a self-taught photographer in his mid-twenties. He loved speedy success, shifting effortlessly between business images, photojournalistic documentary and free inventive work. His quite a few photograph books embrace YAKUZA, Inside Report concerning the Japanese Mafia (1990); and Voodoo: Mounted by the Gods (2003), which complemented his movie of the identical title. He made numerous movies, together with Mythos Gotthard: Der letzte Streckenwärter (The Gotthard Fable: The Final Monitor Warden) (2008) and Mein Bruder der Dirigent (My Brother the Conductor) (2007). He was a cameraman on a lot of documentary movies, reminiscent of Wim Wenders’ Invisibles: Congo (2007), and Jagdzeit – Den Walfängern auf der Spur (Searching Season – on the Path of the Whalers) (2009). His most up-to-date massive photograph challenge titled One – Seduced by the Darkness was produced together with his accomplice and muse, Julia Fokina. Discover out extra about his images on his website and Instagram account.

A portfolio in LFI 4/2021 affords perception into the photographer’s oeuvre.

Leica M

The Leica. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.