In Search Of Presence With Scandebergs

“A subject becomes more authentic the closer it gets to the idea we have of it.”Working for the likes of Vogue Italia, Marina Abramović Institute, Fendi or Missoni, Scandebergs’ practice is focused on the pursuit of authenticity. However, rather than making a pure documentation of the realities surrounding them, the photographers seek for the abstract ideas that help to perceive the world. They say: “Our work is about authenticity, but the authenticity we seek doesn’t necessarily need to be congruent with reality; a subject becomes more authentic the closer it gets to the idea we have of it.”

Struck by nature and movement, the duo take a philosophical approach to their practice. “There is such a complex combination of micro and macro actions like breathing, blinking our eyes or simply walking that we don’t pay too much attention to, but are deeply distinctive of our practice. Even when we stand motionless, gravity is making our muscles constantly contracting to avoid collapse underneath our own weight.” Experimenting with the visual ways of conveying this truth, Colombini and Albaneseit made it their primary challenge to deduce this sophisticated interpretation of their subjects’ presence.