TIFA 2022 Science / Other

Alchemy of Life, II

  • Prize
    Bronze in Science/Other
  • Photographer
    Gianfranco Merati
  • Agency / Studio
    Gianfranco Merati Studio.

As in my first Alchemy of Life project, here I use various chemical compounds mixed with liquid colours to create abstract art pieces. In this series, however, I focus on observing the microstructures that the compounds create. The resulting images may resemble cellular structures or galaxies and, in some cases, things we have never seen before. Ultimately these images are a metaphor of our lives: it is healthy to experiment and sometimes open the door to the unknown. Although some results will not bring us anywhere, others may help us make discoveries we didn't imagine were possible.

Gianfranco’s motivation as a photographer is that ‘beauty is everywhere’. He seeks to reveal it. In recent times Gianfranco started developing abstract photography within a studio setting. Using both high tech methods and innovative use of basic means, each final image is exacting and verging on the unreal. This, despite the fact that Gianfranco does not manipulate his images to create any illusions in his work.