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Three thousand kilometers to rediscover the charm of Iceland, to trace the most aseptic and impersonal places on the island, those spaces “empty” of tourists but full of an austere and magnetic nature.
The photographer Luca Arena, who is colorblind, wanted to recall in the title The lagoon is not pink an episode that happened on the Vatnajökull glacier when, looking downstream, he said to the guide: “How beautiful this pink lagoon” and the guide’s answer provided the right title of his book: “The lagoon is not pink”.
“I have been colorblind for 34 years and every day I try to get over it, I dedicate myself to travel and photographic reports. Very attached to the theme of colors and their perception, I love photographing urban and suburban contexts isolating them from the surrounding environment”
Traveling with Luca, we discover an island of impervious territories where the impact of a nature is strong and running wild horses show us landscapes dotted with sober and frugal houses. They are silent images where men appear from time to time.
The light that fills these photographs reminds us of the incredible images of Iceland in the film Godland by Icelandic director Hlynur Pálmason.
Luca Arena (1988) was born on the first day of spring at 9:30. He has been colorblind for 35 years and every day he tries to get over it. He studied economics and marketing at the University of Pisa and in his spare time he dedicates himself to travel and photographic reports.
Very attached to the theme of colors and their perception, he loves to photograph urban and suburban contexts isolating them from the surrounding environment.
He has several solo exhibitions and online publications to his credit. The work Impersonalism: Tenerife was presented to the public with a personal exhibition at Spazio 32 in La Spezia, a cultural reference point of the Carispezia Foundation, while the project Á means river | Ísland and the book of the same name was exhibited at GATE 26A in Modena.
He prefers large format printing, poster paper and open-air exhibition venues, especially if the walls are gray and impersonal.
All images courtesy of the artist.
