RÉPONSE PHOTO MAGAZINE PUBLISHES RODOLFO FRANCHI’S “RENCONTRES IMPROBABLES” SERIES
Transcription of article by Réponse Photo, No. 359, May 2023
“A series by Rodolfo Franchi under the critical eye of Julien Bolle & Thibaut Gobet.“
This highly surreal series was entitled Rencontres improbables (Unlikely Encounters) by its author, a professional still-life photographer. Here, he puts his know-how at the service of his imagination. Julien appreciates it, but Thibaut is a little disappointed.
“This series, whose sole ambition is to make people smile, was inspired by an event in my life that was no laughing matter. When my mother had to leave her home to go to an Ehpad, I had to empty her house of all her belongings. Built by my great-grandfather, some things had been in the same place for almost a century. It was the first time that I could see them changing places, changing hands. Was I sad? Quite the opposite: a new life was beginning for them. But is it possible to speak of life when they are merely inanimate objects? They may not have souls, but they all have their own stories By staging these objects in positions that are sometimes uncomfortable, I’ve imagined a new story that I’m sure won’t be their last, because unlike us mere humans, objects can have many lives.“
In favor : Julien Bolle
A balloon rubbing against a cactus, snails straddling a razor blade, a crucified corkscrew: Rodolfo Franchi’s object associations are both mental and highly sensory. The impeccable, almost clinical aspect of his compositions allows us to overlook the staging and focus on the message, as in the advertising images Rodolphe produces in his line of work. But here, there’s nothing for sale, and the message is much more personal, especially when you know where these objects come from. The photographer seems to have found these strange associations in the depths of his unconscious, in a style typical of the Surrealists – which is cheaper than psychoanalysis. Unlike the work of artist Chema Madoz, which this series reminds us of, things here don’t seem so “zen” behind the humor, there’s a threat of an underlying violence that gives the whole thing its depth.
Not in favor : Thibaut Gobet
From our black and white competition with Lumière Imaging, I remember one of Rodolfo’s images of two sea urchins on a scale. Although I supported this image at the time, my enthusiasm has waned on discovering the series as a whole, where the associations of ideas seem less successful. Nothing to say about the direction or the series’ rather promising pitch, but the strength of these images is too inconsistent, as in the one on the right with the razor blade and the snails. The result is often pointless and unjustified, or the parallels appear a little shaky. I think the work contains some interesting images, but needs to develop to find more meaning and more connections between the images. Pay attention to the different image formats in the series, which don’t help to create a sense of unity.
Nota Bene : Rodolfo Franchi has long used his French first name. For personal reasons, the Artist has decided to use Rodolfo Franchi during the year 2023.
