THE SELF AND ITS DOUBLES

ANDREA BORIN

//Andrea was born in Italy but has been living in New Zealand since 2010. In his works he uses photography as a poetic and metaphorical language. He shared a self-portrait series that he calls “The Self and its Doubles”.

Largely self-taught, Andrea turned to photography as his art medium. “Probably because of my failures with painting,” he says, “but I soon discovered the specific expressive possibilities of the medium, also thanks to the works of photographers such as Mario Giacomelli, Duane Michals, Joel Peter Witkin to name but a few.”

Andrea hopes for contact with other artists around the world.

“In front of the camera, I am at the same time the one I think I am and the one I want others to think I am.”

Roland Barthes
(Camera Lucida: Reflections on photography)

What draws you to art?

“I love all arts, not only visual arts but also music and literature. The fundamental aspect that draws me to them is the expressive power. I’m a man of emotions, controlled by reason of course, and when I engage with a work of art – be it Bach, Michelangelo, Picasso, Bacon, Witkin – I want to be astonished, I want to think, I want the work to have a profound impact on myself.”

What do you like best about this photographic project?

“In my photography I am attempting to create images in which reality and imagination overlap and consciousness, time, psychology, play an essential role. I like reflecting on concepts.”

The series “The Self and its Doubles” is the result of Andrea´s reflections on the the concept of identity. “A self-portrait is not just the representation of oneself; often it’s a metaphor for oneself. What do we decide to show to others or to hide from them? The concept of identity is flexible. Human beings are exposed to transformations according to the roles, contexts and situations in which they are placed. A self-portrait doesn’t necessarily imply a narcissistic attitude; it’s an encounter and like every meeting it has the gift of unpredictability. It’s an approximation to the knowledge of oneself, destined not to find ultimate answers.”

In terms of technique and processing, Andrea always starts shooting with a digital camera. The final result sometimes consists of the unaltered shot, but more often he makes use of multiple exposures (both in camera and with Photoshop), diptychs and triptychs, and manipulation to add or hide elements.

Click on the photos to see a larger version. Some images may be cropped for layout, clicking on them will display them in original format.