Welcome to our column that discovers, investigates, and highlights fine art photographic work from an international forum of creatives. Aptly named “Traverse” and written by contributing editor, Michael Kirchoff.

Within this column, I strive to look at photographs and processes that reside outside of the familiar American bubble that we see more often than not. The aim is in examining not simply our similarities and differences, but also the common thread of making photographs in our shared process and goals.

—Michael Kirchoff, Contributing Editor

Stefano Questorio

Once again, I get to credit social media for allowing me to discover a photographer doing something that, to me, stands out and captures my attention. This time around, it is the work of Stefano Questorio, an Italian dancer from Bologna working in theater and traveling the world with a camera always at his side. Creating whimsical, surreal, and thought-provoking diptychs and triptychs, his images are reminiscent of storyboards from the motion picture, animation, and comic book worlds most are familiar with. With each photographic array, one expects the images to fully animate and continue the story of their birth into a fully evolved narrative. Some of the photographs are also paired with objects or include stitching to achieve his vision. Let's just say I'm hooked and feel the need to investigate this artist's background and process.

During his younger years, Questorio never imagined a career in the arts; however, being gifted a camera by his father set his curiosity in motion. With a new need to create during his teen years, he sang in a post-punk group, studied dance, and spent his evenings painting with oils inspired by impressionist painters. However, this multifaceted approach only created a problem where to develop a path and deepen the skills he loved most. Finally, choosing to study new contemporary dance during the 90s and graduating in 2000, Questorio started working as a dancer for several Italian and international theater companies. Working with some of the greats in his field, he excelled in dance, but he learned how to be an artist from some who were also into the visual arts - all during this time still making photographs for himself. 

"Poetic, heretic, erratic, erotic, ironic, conceptual...sometimes, I like to tell stories through my photos and series. Welcome to my soul."

~ Stefano Questorio

Though his previous sojourn in photography was through making black and white prints in his own darkroom, in 2017, he was introduced to the world of instant film, brought about by the rebirth of Polaroid. His love for this process was cemented when, "I found by chance an old SX-70 in a flea market, 30 bucks. I bought it immediately and my life changed." With this accelerated passion for photography and the fact that there were now many more types of this film available, including older, expired films that he also gravitated to, Questorio could further refine his skills. Continuing to try additional camera types and experiment with manipulation, emulsion lifts, and bleaching was finally the manipulations that brought him the greatest joy. The most successful experiments led him to develop his The Adventures of Mr… body of work (and alter ego) that we are highlighting here.

Working in theater typically means traveling frequently, so anytime he is on a train, plane, or Metro, a notebook is usually in tow, becoming the place to write and store his concepts for the images he eventually produces. Sometimes the photographs are made after a couple of days, other times, weeks or months. "When I shoot, it's just to make something real that I have already seen in my mind. That's why I love expired films: what I saw in my mind crashes into the unpredictability of the expired film, and something new and magical happens…"

Recently, during the pandemic, Questorio had used his time wisely and published a book, Pop Quarantine, a sort of Polaroid diary photographed between March and May of 2020. While the project was very challenging, it is something that he has become very proud of, receiving touching praise from many who have purchased and seen the work. Moving forward, now feels to be the time he pulls out the notebook of ideas and begins all the previously conceived projects, so there will be more to come. The images we are showing here are all created with SX-70 instant film. They hold a special place in my own heart, as it was this format that fully propelled me into the world of image-making. You know that I will be watching and waiting for Stefano Questorio's next dance.

About the artist

After graduating from the Department of Music, Art and Theatre at the University of Bologna, I trained mainly as a dancer and choreographer and worked with several Italian and international companies including Wim Vandekeybus, Studio Azzurro, Romeo Castellucci, Roberto Castello, and others. I also created several works as a choreographer including the recent "Album" and  "Lila, a Symphony about life and death.” I began to take photos very early, developing and printing in a darkroom, but only recently I deepened this path, focusing on instant photography, mainly Polaroids. Some of my works have been showcased in group exhibitions, international events, galleries, and selected in magazines and calendars. In 2019, I took part in the 12.12 Men Project, and some works have been exhibited at the Permanent Polaroid Museum at Bombay Beach (Los Angeles, USA).

Website: https://www.stefanoquestorioinstantphotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stefanoquestorio_polaroids/

About the author

Michael Kirchoff works in the worlds of both commercial and fine art photography. A commercial shooter for over thirty years, it is his fine art work that has set him apart from others, with instant film and toy camera images fueling several bodies of work. His consulting, training, and overall support of his fellow photographic artist continues with assistance in constructing one’s vision, reviewing portfolios, and finding exhibition opportunities, which fill the gaps in time away from active shooting. 

Michael is also an independent curator and juror, and advocate for the photographic arts. Currently, he is also Editor-in-Chief at Analog Forever Magazine, and is the Founding Editor for the online photographer interview website, Catalyst: Interviews. Previously, Michael spent over four years as Editor at BLUR magazine.