Julianna Margulies, Portrait., 2015

Cristian Hunter   Emerging artists

From the IWMYAS series. Mixed media on archival pigment print. Image Size: 45 H x 31.5 W in. Frame Size: 53 H x 39 W x 2 D in. Black and white photography. Intervention by the artist.

This artwork was created by the artistic duo Hunter & Gatti (2010–2023). These works are part of the archive managed and exhibited by Cristian Hunter. The artist's technique consists of the use of two prints, the first print is the original photography, and the second print is a blurry version of the image printed on glass. The glass version of the picture is shattered with an iron tool to be able to control the rupture. The artists glued the glass parts on top of the original picture, creating a blurred effect. The artists explore even further the infinite possibilities of transformation by turning something as temporary as a fashion editorial, into something completely different and original; a unique piece of art.  

Cristian Hunter’s work starts from that belief. His photographs —created over a solid international career— are not mere documents, but open territories where painting, texture, and gesture expand photography into new dimensions of meaning. Hunter explores how an image can shift in meaning over time—how context, memory, and manual intervention can transform what was once captured into something newly revealed. Each piece is an invitation to look again, to uncover what lies beneath the visible. Guided by the premise that “nothing stays still,” he works from his personal archive, reinterpreting it, giving new life to what was once lived, and breaking the linear flow between past and present. His lens has captured renowned figures such as Pharrell Williams, Penélope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez, Ewan McGregor, Lalisa Manoban, Adria Arjona, and Bruno Mars, among many others. Yet his focus goes beyond portraiture—what truly interests him is what remains when the image stops being literal and begins to emerge as a living object. His current body of work includes both new pieces and selected artworks from the artistic legacy of Hunter & Gatti, which he now manages. These are duly credited as “ created by Hunter & Gatti,” presented alongside his personal practice and establishing a dialogue between history, transformation, and contemporary gaze. His work has been exhibited in cities such as Barcelona, New York, and Miami, and reflects a visual practice grounded in experience, exploration, and ongoing evolution. 

Hunter & Gatti wanted to pay homage to the legacy of neo-expressionist Jane-Michel Basquiat by merging the celebrity portraits they had shot in the past for editorials and fashion campaigns, featuring the most iconoclastic members of today's fashion scene, with Basquiat's paintings that transcend the boundaries of the art world and are part of our collective unconscious - just like the famous faces in their photos. Their idea was to create a series of original hybrids that explore the limits of popular culture, while at the same time reflecting fashion's ongoing interest in the art world.