ART FEATURE: THE MEDRANO FAMILY CIRCUS BY GIANLUIGI DI NAPOLI
STEVE, (Actually, his real name is Stiv). He was the clown of the show, by chance. It happened the show was to replace a sick clown and with Stiv has rediscovered a brilliant talent: magnetic eyes like Buster Keaton and make-up that can refer to A Clockwork Orange. His cool ingenuity was the real thread of the show. With his brother, Roni, Stiv performed an extraordinary feat, “Icarian Games.” This is their main specialty. They are among the few in the world able to perform some daring figures. The following year, they were hired by Cirque du Soleil to become, as Icarian acrobats, permanent attractions of the show Varekai in Las Vegas.
TWO MEN SITTING (PETER AND MEHMET). When I thought of making a work on the circus, I was inspired by the aerial suspensions and timelessness of the work Picasso did on acrobats. When I saw them, waiting to go on stage, I thought to represent this feeling.
JUGGLER (LUCIANO). Luciano is the father of Stiv and Roni. In addition to being a brilliant juggler, he was also a daredevil acrobat. After the death of their mother he has devoted himself completely to the growth of their two children, which also meant being their instructor and trainer. Their famous number of “Icarian Games” has been developed thanks to his experience.
AEREALS. Actually, this photo belongs to another set of images, made in Munich. A circus came to town with a name that was very evocative: Sarrasani. It was the first circus that my father took me to see. After meeting the owner, who told me the story of his circus, I walked around to get to know the various troupes. These two Russian planes artists made an almost hypnotic performance of aerial straps, and I really liked the perfect synchronicity with which they also moved to the ground.
About the Artist:
Gianluigi Di Napoli gives the famous Medrano family circus a great entrance on the stage of his remarkable black-and-white photography, drawing us into the enchanting spot-lit world of the big top, full of the beauty and movement of the animals and the concentration of the artists. He invites us to take a look behind the scenes, at the hard work of rehearsal and the everyday life of the circus family. He shows us the emotions and human aspects of the life behind the glittering circus show. As the photographer himself says, “I wanted to capture the moment of preparation when the artist is waiting to make an entrance and triumphantly present his skills — the moment when the body already has a rush of adrenaline, the lights are up, but the artist is still standing in the dust”.
Website: http://gianluigidinapoli.com/
Instagram: @gianluigidinapoli
Circus Life – Everynight, all around the world – Gianluigi Di Napoli Photography