Flow(er)#33 - Limited Edition of 25 Print

Francesco Dolfo hails from Pordenone, a hard-working town with a punk spirit, in Italy’s northeast corner. A former champion canoeist, he spent his youth paddling round his home country, gaining valuable experience more than a tad beyond most kids’ daily rigmarole. But his fate would lie within the camera’s lens, genealogical fruit of a family of northern Italian emigrants. Some had packed off to spick-and-span Switzerland, others went to art déco Africa, to Asmara, where Francesco’s grandfather worked as a photographer. Eventually they all came back to Italy. With plenty of stories for young Francesco. Buttressed by proofs, prints, cameras and lenses as he grew. And a certain sense of intangible magic. He wanted to be an engineer and wound up in the army. Army athletics. Training for sure, he carried his Reflex wherever he went. Photos of Rome, its corners; his fellow draftees, their faces. Compulsory military service completed, Francesco enrolled at the European Institute of Design in Milano. His fate was sealed – he too would become a photographer. From the get-go Francesco has worked with high-profile photographers, like Kazunori Hataguchi of Japan, and Bodha D’Erasmo with his still lifes. He learned what it takes to create an image for big-time brands – precision and spontaneity, random gestures that, bam, get iconized. In 2007, Francesco began working for high-end Japanese design and fashion magazines. He shot and produced catalogues and ad campaigns for luxury brands. He has done photo layouts for designer hotels, luxury concept stores, art galleries, Michelin-star restaurants, and notables in the field of design. Upon returning from Shanghai in 2019, Francesco published photo stories from his trip. Twist of fate, his career takes a whole ’nother unexpected direction. Since then, his work has appeared in international interior design magazines. He also works for leading architecture groups. His photos appeared in the special volume of Architectural Digest Italia The 100 Most Beautiful Homes in Italy and, over the past few years, he has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions. Francesco’s artistic side project is entitled Flow(ers). Studio shots against a black backdrop.