Paola Tornambè
top of page

Paola Tornambè

Italy

Paola Tornambè

Artist's contact

limited edition

A field. In May.
(Inspired by Caroline Branson by Mario Giacomelli, from Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters)

Among spring flowers, heavenly spots of light are suspended and lost in stains of infinity, under the sky of a May field, it is consumed the love between the two protagonists destined to become eternal.
It is a delicate but at the same time passionate love, absolutely felt, strong, rooted in their being and poured in the surrounding. The nature is not only the background but also an essential part of a story connected to the nature, to the spring revival, to the fields where it is consumed.
On poppies, daisies, and pansies, protected from the external world that seems not to exist anymore, they consume their visceral love, sometimes desperate. We do not know anything about them and the vicissitudes that brought them on that field, in May. And we do not need to know. The images of their embrace, in a fight against time, are enough. Their faces, the heavenly images of their bodies, a laugh forever trapped in that place, in that time, become timeless and are enough to know that they won.
The land keeps the memory of what happened, and it is accomplice of keeping the memory and bring it back to mind. Every moment becomes eternal, poetic, made of perceptions that comes back to mind. We do not know anything about the two lovers’ future, but they find the sublimation in the eternal moment of their embrace, like a ballet that leaves a trail in the air. This is their victory over the time and the space. Their sacred essence, the indelible trace of an ancient love, lived in harmony with the universe and ready to resurface as memory related to those places. They will be there, among the flowers, every May. They will love each other again and again. Because what happened, it happened for the eternity. The time starts to flow again in the last images, when it is time of changes: June is coming and also the ploughing. The last image shows harvested wheat spikes, like a stormy sea that erases, but only apparently: in the normal time and in its flow, what it was. But if life gets back to its flow, the love does not: it will stay. Forever and ever. In a field. In May.

Rome, Italy (1982). Photographer and visual artist. Paola approached photography when she was a kid, learning to print in black and white with a rudimentary darkroom set up in her parents’ house. She was born and grew up in Rome from a Sicilian family. The connection to Sicily has always been quite strong, so her origins played an important role in her formation. This influence is reflected also in her works, especially in the lights and Baroque poses. She graduated in Political Sciences with the highest score at Rome University, but she soon understood that it was not her path, so she enrolled in the Photography Academy. It is in fact in this field that she can totally express herself and her artistic soul.
She published her works on several websites and both on Italian and international photography and art magazines: Fotografia Moderna, Artonweb, Bagzine, F-Stop Magazine, Shots Magazine (Minnesota), ArtAbout Magazine, Photosophia, Spazio Art, Altro Spazio D’Arte, Racconto di Sicilia, Micro Arti Visive, Knack Magazine (Chicago), Art Vibes, Zir Art Magazine ecc.
She collaborates with different portals and magazines, such as Latitudine X, Artisti del Mare, Il Pesce tra le Nuvole and she was added in the book "Essenza di un'isola", published by IO Donna.
She participated with her works in many personal and collective exhibitions. She was added to the historical archive of the Folk Art and traditions museum of Rome. Furthermore, she is author of the blogs: animadeiluoghi.blogspot.com.

Publications:

Shots Magazine, issue #143 - Spring 2019, paper magazine of Fine Art photography in Minnesota.

Knack Magazine issue #61, Chicago (USA) about contemporary photography.

F-Stop Magazine issue #106 – April/May 2021 The Self Portrait.

The Best selected Book vol. IV by Vanni Pandolfi with preface by Angelo Cucchetto.

Il corpo solitario. L’autoscatto nella fotografia contemporanea, vol. III, by Giorgio Bonomi, Rubbettino publisher.
Lo Specchio di Alice, The Dead Artists Society publisher, by Michele di Donato, 2022.

Awards:

She won the "Conceptual Artist 2018" from webartexpo by Grifio Art Gallery.

She was a national finalist at the biennial festival MarteLive 2019 with her project “Cammeo” (“Cameo”) and she won the special prize of Csf Adams and the special prize MarteLabel in the same.

She was granted with Honorable Mention in Conceptual Category of MonoVisions Photography Awards 2020 for winning entry “Cameo”.

She was granted with Honorable Mention in Fine Art, Conceptual Category, of Neutral Density Photography Awards 2020 for winning entry “Paper Woman”.

She was granted with Honorable Mention in Conceptual Category of Chromatic Awards, International Color Photography Contest 2020.

She was a finalist at the Passepartout Photo Prize, Rome 2020.

She was a finalist at the Creative Photo Awards 2022 of Siena, in Conceptual Category.



Exhibitions:

2019

• Collective at MuVi Rome "Odissea nell'Arte" (Odyssey in Art) 7th edition, January 2019.

• Personal "Nel grembo, acqua" (“In womb, water”) 14th – 31st July 2019, Cefalù (Pa), Italy.

• Double personal "Parti di Invisibile" (“Parts of Invisible”) 28th September – 4th October 2019 at Mayday, P. Potenza Picena (Mc), Italy.


• The project "Parti di Invisibile" (“Parts of Invisible”) arrived then in Rome, at Velli Palace Expo, for Cascina Farsetti Art of CFS Adams, 8th – 10th November 2019.

• International collective “About Future” by Loosenart, 6th December 2019 – 2nd January 2020, at Millepiani space, Rome, Italy.

• Collective “Il Mostro #14”, “The monster #14” at Tevere Art Gallery, 7th – 11th December 2019, Rome, Italy.

• International collective at KromArt Gallery “L’ombra” “The shadow”, 13th December 2019 – 17th January 2020, Rome, Italy.

2020

• International collective exhibition by 1963 Gallery “Cluster Photography and Print”, 19th –
23rd February 2020, Ugly Duck, London, United Kingdom.

• International photography exhibition by PH21 Gallery: “Imagination”, 4th – 27th June 2020, Budapest, Hungary.

• Participation to the exhibition project DIVO C, by Monica Cecchini of Incinque Open Art Monti, with the exhibition at Otto Gallery, 10th – 24th September 2020, Roma.

• Exhibition: “Punti di Vista” (Points of view), curated by Ilaria Di Giustili and Penelope Filacchione, at Art Sharing Gallery for WEFO, 26th September – 11th October 2020, Rome.

• Participation to the art project Corviale Urban Lab with the exhibition at Mitreo Arte Contemporanea Gallery, 27th September - 4th October 2020, Rome.

2021

• International collective exhibition “Momentum” by The Holy Art Gallery, 13th - 21rd February 2021, London, United Kingdom.

• “Kaos Antitesi del Silenzio. Forma, Spazio, Tempo” Collective exhibition curated by Kaos 48 and Superintendence of Arts and landscape of Salerno and Avellino, 25th September - 15th November 2021, Avellino.

• Double personal exhibition “Tutto quel che resta”, 18th November – 8th December 2021, La Nica Gallery, Rome.

• Personal exhibition curated by Luisa Briganti e collective exhibition curated by Simona Ghizzoni at Prague Photo Festival, 23rd – 28th November 2021, Prague, Czech Republic.

• Collective exhibition by Kromart Expo: “L’autoritratto ai tempi del Coronavirus”, Velli Palace Expo, Rome 16th -19th December 2021.

2022

• Collective exhibition by Alchemy and Art, Dortmund, Germany, February 2022.

• Double personal exhibition “Femminile Singolare”, April and May 2022, Otto Gallery, Rome.

• Photographic exhibition Divo C, second edition, 28th – 30th April 2022, Incinque Open Art Monti, Rome.

• Collective exhibition “Mirrors”, curated by Alberto Desirò of AD Gallery, 3rd – 11th September, Prato.



Rome, Italy (1982). Photographer and visual artist. Paola approached photography when she was a kid, learning to print in black and white with a rudimentary darkroom set up in her parents’ house. She was born and grew up in Rome from a Sicilian family. The connection to Sicily has always been quite strong, so her origins played an important role in her formation. This influence is reflected also in her works, especially in the lights and Baroque poses. She graduated in Political Sciences with the highest score at Rome University, but she soon understood that it was not her path, so she enrolled in the Photography Academy. It is in fact in this field that she can totally express herself and her artistic soul.
She published her works on several websites and both on Italian and international photography and art magazines: Fotografia Moderna, Artonweb, Bagzine, F-Stop Magazine, Shots Magazine (Minnesota), ArtAbout Magazine, Photosophia, Spazio Art, Altro Spazio D’Arte, Racconto di Sicilia, Micro Arti Visive, Knack Magazine (Chicago), Art Vibes, Zir Art Magazine ecc.
She collaborates with different portals and magazines, such as Latitudine X, Artisti del Mare, Il Pesce tra le Nuvole and she was added in the book "Essenza di un'isola", published by IO Donna.
She participated with her works in many personal and collective exhibitions. She was added to the historical archive of the Folk Art and traditions museum of Rome. Furthermore, she is author of the blogs: animadeiluoghi.blogspot.com.

Publications:

Shots Magazine, issue #143 - Spring 2019, paper magazine of Fine Art photography in Minnesota.

Knack Magazine issue #61, Chicago (USA) about contemporary photography.

F-Stop Magazine issue #106 – April/May 2021 The Self Portrait.

The Best selected Book vol. IV by Vanni Pandolfi with preface by Angelo Cucchetto.

Il corpo solitario. L’autoscatto nella fotografia contemporanea, vol. III, by Giorgio Bonomi, Rubbettino publisher.
Lo Specchio di Alice, The Dead Artists Society publisher, by Michele di Donato, 2022.

Awards:

She won the "Conceptual Artist 2018" from webartexpo by Grifio Art Gallery.

She was a national finalist at the biennial festival MarteLive 2019 with her project “Cammeo” (“Cameo”) and she won the special prize of Csf Adams and the special prize MarteLabel in the same.

She was granted with Honorable Mention in Conceptual Category of MonoVisions Photography Awards 2020 for winning entry “Cameo”.

She was granted with Honorable Mention in Fine Art, Conceptual Category, of Neutral Density Photography Awards 2020 for winning entry “Paper Woman”.

She was granted with Honorable Mention in Conceptual Category of Chromatic Awards, International Color Photography Contest 2020.

She was a finalist at the Passepartout Photo Prize, Rome 2020.

She was a finalist at the Creative Photo Awards 2022 of Siena, in Conceptual Category.



Exhibitions:

2019

• Collective at MuVi Rome "Odissea nell'Arte" (Odyssey in Art) 7th edition, January 2019.

• Personal "Nel grembo, acqua" (“In womb, water”) 14th – 31st July 2019, Cefalù (Pa), Italy.

• Double personal "Parti di Invisibile" (“Parts of Invisible”) 28th September – 4th October 2019 at Mayday, P. Potenza Picena (Mc), Italy.


• The project "Parti di Invisibile" (“Parts of Invisible”) arrived then in Rome, at Velli Palace Expo, for Cascina Farsetti Art of CFS Adams, 8th – 10th November 2019.

• International collective “About Future” by Loosenart, 6th December 2019 – 2nd January 2020, at Millepiani space, Rome, Italy.

• Collective “Il Mostro #14”, “The monster #14” at Tevere Art Gallery, 7th – 11th December 2019, Rome, Italy.

• International collective at KromArt Gallery “L’ombra” “The shadow”, 13th December 2019 – 17th January 2020, Rome, Italy.

2020

• International collective exhibition by 1963 Gallery “Cluster Photography and Print”, 19th –
23rd February 2020, Ugly Duck, London, United Kingdom.

• International photography exhibition by PH21 Gallery: “Imagination”, 4th – 27th June 2020, Budapest, Hungary.

• Participation to the exhibition project DIVO C, by Monica Cecchini of Incinque Open Art Monti, with the exhibition at Otto Gallery, 10th – 24th September 2020, Roma.

• Exhibition: “Punti di Vista” (Points of view), curated by Ilaria Di Giustili and Penelope Filacchione, at Art Sharing Gallery for WEFO, 26th September – 11th October 2020, Rome.

• Participation to the art project Corviale Urban Lab with the exhibition at Mitreo Arte Contemporanea Gallery, 27th September - 4th October 2020, Rome.

2021

• International collective exhibition “Momentum” by The Holy Art Gallery, 13th - 21rd February 2021, London, United Kingdom.

• “Kaos Antitesi del Silenzio. Forma, Spazio, Tempo” Collective exhibition curated by Kaos 48 and Superintendence of Arts and landscape of Salerno and Avellino, 25th September - 15th November 2021, Avellino.

• Double personal exhibition “Tutto quel che resta”, 18th November – 8th December 2021, La Nica Gallery, Rome.

• Personal exhibition curated by Luisa Briganti e collective exhibition curated by Simona Ghizzoni at Prague Photo Festival, 23rd – 28th November 2021, Prague, Czech Republic.

• Collective exhibition by Kromart Expo: “L’autoritratto ai tempi del Coronavirus”, Velli Palace Expo, Rome 16th -19th December 2021.

2022

• Collective exhibition by Alchemy and Art, Dortmund, Germany, February 2022.

• Double personal exhibition “Femminile Singolare”, April and May 2022, Otto Gallery, Rome.

• Photographic exhibition Divo C, second edition, 28th – 30th April 2022, Incinque Open Art Monti, Rome.

• Collective exhibition “Mirrors”, curated by Alberto Desirò of AD Gallery, 3rd – 11th September, Prato.



Statement

Paola Tornambè’s photography is artistic and based on long exposure that allows her to melt different lays of images to create a pictorial effect. The images are in progress, they look intentionally blurred, dreamlike, evanescent. She photographs for the opposite reason that we can expect not to stop the time, but to show its flow. She captures the different movements that we make in action, by living, this is her photographic ob-session. Introspective, dreamlike, sometimes surrealist, Paola Tornambè’s images can be located at the border between “visible and invisible”. They are able to directly rep-resent sensations and torments of being. A photography that shows dreams, torments, unexpected and revealing sensations, soft and elusive emotions, deep dimensions of her restless soul and imagination, essence of lively magic inferiority, blurred memories in a sign of light. A photography full of melancholy and beauty, with a strong evoking power.

​

bottom of page