Arizona 002. The Ameriguns., Circa 2020

Gabriele Galimberti  

Printed on Baryta Prestige II Canson 340g paper and certified by ARTtrust.

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Available in two formats: 80x60cm and 140x105cm. Limited edition.

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For over two years, Gabriele Galimberti conducted a visual inquiry on gun culture in the United States, guided by a single obsession: translating this social phenomenon into images. Enshrined as a fundamental right, at the very heart of the Constitution, gun ownership is anchored in all aspects of the American life, sometimes blending into some of its most sacred values. The number of arms (400 million) in the country has, as a matter of fact, surpassed that of the population growth (339 million). Galimberti’s images bring this truth to light, revealing the unexpected sides of the America that loves weapons.

Through social media, the photographer met men, women, and families from whom he drew a series of portraits all made within their living environments, their privacy.

Digging deeper into this duality, the photographer presents us with methodical, broad and frontal shots of his subjects, giving to his images a dimension both artistic and documentary from which one can make an objective inventory. These photographs, taken following a precise protocole, are never candid as they articulate a rhythm exempt of any motion. All traces of naturalness have been carefully erased.

His photographs present as carefully curated portraits. The families wear a straightforward expression, one could say a victorious one, where neither despair nor fear can be read. Surrounded by their gun collections, Galimberti found geometry in these families' pride and contentment.

The composition of his images favors cleverly organized spaces, sometimes almost partitioned, where the mise-en-scène gives the whole a graphic effect. Within these settings, the weapons are laid down in rows, circles or in the shape of stars: always meticulously arranged, they blend into the delicate fabric of these intimate environments. In such compositions they look almost harmless, toylike. In these domestic spaces where they appear to be united, the weapons reveal the values and ideals of their owners. Without becoming too cinematic, the lighting setup—always artificial—increases the theatrical range of the image.

Full of restraint, these photographs keep themselves away from all sensualism: here, violence remains latent, since rifles and handguns represent less a symbol of armament, and more an evocation of the unspeakable existence of guns with their compressed potential for explosivity. Without ever sacrificing the aesthetic value of his images, Galimberti thus points out the discrepancies, the paradoxes. But also a sad devotion: that of the American way of life.