Lusiana Fashion

Paolo Ventura, like Arbus, began as a fashion photographer. A masterful storyteller, Ventura brings imaginary tales from Italian history to life. The artist's intricate and eerily beautiful dioramas, miniature scenes pulled from his childhood memories, are casted into tiny, sophisticated sets. He builds evocative tableaux from humble materials, and the detail is extraordinary, from the clothes of the little figures, to the artfully arranged props, to the precise way the light and shadows play out in his photographs.
His work is filled with the sweet melancholy of an era, but remains timeless in its ability to resonate with contemporary audiences.

Born in Cuba in 1968, raised in Italy and now a resident of New York City, Paolo Ventura studied at the Academia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at Forma International Center for Photography, Milan, Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles, and Maison Europeenne de la Photographie, Paris.

Automaton series

Courtesy Paolo Ventura

Some pictures of the "automaton" series will be on exhibit at the 54th Venice Biennale in the Italian Pavilion

Hasted Kraeutler Gallery NYC

September 8 - October 15, 2011
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Born on 1986 in the Philippines, Michael Vincent Manalo is a self-taught mixed media artist, a photographer and a musician. The themes that are mostly seen on his work revolve around surrealism, pseudo-realism, nostalgic sentiments, and human emotion.

Michael Vincent Manalo is one of the primary contributors for advanced photo-manipulation tutorials for Photoshop Tutorials, and has created various artworks as album covers for international bands/musicians, and also as book covers for numerous publishing companies.

Manalo's works were featured in solo and group exhibitions at such institutions as the American University Museum in Washington D.C., the Art Dimensions Gallery in Missouri, the Art Museum of Chianciano Terme in Italy.

" Creating my artworks though my chosen medium was brought about my frustration in the traditional process of painting, which as a result has given me even more possibilities to recreate the visceral levels contained within the vast assemblage of my spirit."
~~ Michael Vincent Manalo