INTERVIEW: ELVIS DI FAZIO talks to FILEP MOTWARY
Dear iDEALS,
Half Italian half south American, 24 old Elvis Di Fazio intrigued my instincts with his work. His interview took place only one day before this issue was ready to go for publishing and I think that I am lucky being able to have him finally. Very much informed by his academic background in fine arts, Di Fazio's work is about combining compositional precision and technical capability with a deep tenderness and understanding of human situations. His obvious talent has earned him spots in exhibitions nation-wide and the Opera House, the Chauvel and Museum of Sydney have all commissioned his work. Inspired by portraiture, cinema and historical photos, Di Fazio's work is nostalgic with a modernist twist.
FilepMotwary: Elvis, your photos reflect a feeling of nostalgia and drama even, why?
ElvisDiFazio:Well you see I come from a modern living family, my parents don't hold on to any of their old belongings. I guess this spurned my fascination for things that are old and look like they have a history, as it was something I never really had at home. One thing my parents did have however was this old photo album, containing the old portrait studio shots of my relatives. It fascinated me. I would look through it for hours because it seemed like a whole other world that I knew nothing about and the photos looked really valuable. I suppose the old sayings true, "you always want what you can't have." Also, I'm a hopeless romantic; my more emotive shots were directed and created at a time of heartbreak or angst.... I see my photography as a way of expressing myself through fictional old world characters.
FilepMotwary:What does photography and fashion mean to you? How involved do you see yourself in?
ElvisDiFazio:I see photography as a medium of art and expression... some people like to paint to express themselves, others may make music. For me taking photos is the one way I can truly convey what I am feeling, allow others to access it as well. I also like the fashion aspect of photography, but art is my true passion. However, I do absolutely love fashion advertisement campaigns... the idea of creating one amazing or iconic image, recognizable globally and setting the mood of the brand is something I would like to be a part of.
FilepMotwary:Your mentioned something about a publication you have planned. Could you share more details with us?
ElvisDiFazio: I want to get two books published. Currently I am collecting / creating images of friends and models like these images you see here. I want the book to be gloss, and thick, with page after page of amazing images, but I don't think I will have a solid collection for some years to come. On the side I am creating a book called "boys will be boys", a collection of raw Polaroid style shots of straight boys being obnoxious for the camera. I am very selective of who I shoot, most the boys look like teenage heart throb jocks from American teen flicks. A lot of them are actually shot in there own sports uniforms, in their own rooms surrounded by posters of naked girls/cars, posing on their beds for the camera, It makes the image more natural.
None of the boys are actually nude. This book is a sexy voyeuristic study of the guy you would fantasize about in high school but could never get because he was straight....this project is bringing the fun back into art for me.... It also really tests my directional skills as a photographer, because these shots are more about capturing a moment, so I really need to direct well for each set up and keep snapping until I get the right shot.
FilepMotwary:You are only 24, yet your point of view is very precise by looking at what you do. How did everything start for you?
ElvisDiFazio: I kind of fell into photography. I used to lift images from old magazines to make screen print paintings. These images were of glamorous actresses from the 60's and old shots of boys from physic pictorials from the 50's. My idol at the time was pop artist Robert Rauchenberg.
The screen print paintings I created were great, but one time a person said to me
"This is really great Elvis but these images are not yours, you may be re-creating something you have sauced from the past, but wouldn't it be more impressive if you created these images of people yourself?"
This gave me the inspiration and push I needed, so shortly after I started to created mock ups of friends in a 60's portraiture style, experimenting with wigs, make up, interior and different lighting techniques, all shot in black and white. Then I would screen print my shots.
I got better and better at taking the shots of my friends and eventually it got to the point where the shots were complete as they were and screen printing the photo would only take away from it's original charm.
FilepMotwary:You also design clothes. How does photography help clothes and vice versa. Which of the two do you prefer and why?
ElvisDiFazio:Well I started screen printing my photos onto t-shirts in 1999 and selling the tops in boutiques around oz. It was different at the time; the idea of off centered prints and hand painted garments was new and exciting.... It gave me a lot of money to work on big art projects and kept me from having to work retail. I used to print my full name on the back of all my tees.... It was a marketing stunt. I wouldn't really call it fashion, just using fashion as a medium to get my work out there to the masses.
FilepMotwary: How many are the people you work closely with and who are they? Why did you choose them?
ElvisDiFazio: I am self-taught in make up and hair so I rarely work with others on my projects because I like to be very intimate with my subjects. However, if I need to submit a fashion editorial I will call my friend Bex Sheers for styling, Pat Marsh for help with location and some art directing, Hugh Scanlon for hair, and I don't really have a favorite make up artist.
I chose Bex because she's a good friend of mine and very resourceful as a stylist. She can make anything look expensive, fierce and sexy which is what I love about her work. She also believes in me and takes a back seat when I'm shooting which is very important when you're on a big shoot.
Patrick Marsh is amazing because he is always excited about my ideas; he is very connected and also loves what I do. He has no problem letting me do my thing once he has done all he can to help. Also he's just a very genuine man, he's just great.
I have known Hugh Scanlon for years, we are such good friends, and he was the one who taught me how to do hair. He has a great understanding of my aesthetic. He can almost read my mind when it comes to hair.
My good friend Thom Kerr is very supportive too; he is a great fashion photographer! When it comes to work and even personal advice in general he's always right. A very wise man.
FilepMotwary: How do you approach a theme or subject at work?
ElvisDiFazio: Most of my themes are something I've been obsessed with, so I just collect things needed for the shoot like old garments and props from charity shops. I usually grab these first and one day I will find the location and then I will source the model.
A lot of the times I will be chatting to a new friend and the character comes to me in a vision, and the rest just falls into place. It's all very organic.
FilepMotwary: What was the most exiting thing for you in 2007? How about 2008? How did this year start for you?
ElvisDiFazio:Haha!! 2007 was well... not very good for me... I broke my ankle in a dance floor accident and lost half a year to the mending.... It did however give me a lot of time to reflect.
Work was slow and my love life was in a bit of turmoil. As soon as it hit 08 though, everything started looking up for me. I was a finalist in a photography competition held by Harpers Bazaar magazine and I held my first solo exhibition at an amazing gallery space here in Sydney called the Chauvel. It was a huge success selling almost all my photographic panels
FilepMotwary: Your future plans?
ElvisDiFazio: Traveling to different places around the world and shooting beautiful people for my collections sounds like a good plan to me!
I also want to experiment with new exciting photography techniques and styles. As soon as I get good at something I get bored, so I'm sure new themes for books will present themselves as the time goes on.
FilepMotwary: Where do you see fashion going these days? What motivates you to continue doing what you do?
ElvisDiFazio:I'm not sure what fashion is doing these days but I see people here in Sydney being frustrated with how fickle fashion is... everyone is kind of just doing there own thing rather then following a trend.
I am motivated by my obsession with collecting people through my photography... if I don't collect them I feel like I'm not doing my job.
FilepMotwary: Do you feel that the world is changing or is it something one can watch on the news? Are you afraid?
ElvisDiFazio: I love the convenience of the times we live in, microwave ovens, Internet, mobile phones, digital photography. But I am afraid of a world where everything is meant to be more time efficient but because everything is designed to make everyday living easy. If you think about it, it actually means we have to work 3 times as much... eek! FilepMotwary: What would you change?
ElvisDiFazio: I would change how fast paced the world has become. It would be good to be back in a time were you could create something from scratch and work on it for months or even years with out having to cut corners. I feel like there is such a push to be rich and successful over night, that maybe things don't evolve in a way they could and reach there full potential.
NOTE: ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHTS ELVIS DI FAZIO
The interview was part of ISTEROGRAFO Fashion Issue 4, Edited/ Curated By Filep Motwary
Half Italian half south American, 24 old Elvis Di Fazio intrigued my instincts with his work. His interview took place only one day before this issue was ready to go for publishing and I think that I am lucky being able to have him finally. Very much informed by his academic background in fine arts, Di Fazio's work is about combining compositional precision and technical capability with a deep tenderness and understanding of human situations. His obvious talent has earned him spots in exhibitions nation-wide and the Opera House, the Chauvel and Museum of Sydney have all commissioned his work. Inspired by portraiture, cinema and historical photos, Di Fazio's work is nostalgic with a modernist twist.
FilepMotwary: Elvis, your photos reflect a feeling of nostalgia and drama even, why?
ElvisDiFazio:Well you see I come from a modern living family, my parents don't hold on to any of their old belongings. I guess this spurned my fascination for things that are old and look like they have a history, as it was something I never really had at home. One thing my parents did have however was this old photo album, containing the old portrait studio shots of my relatives. It fascinated me. I would look through it for hours because it seemed like a whole other world that I knew nothing about and the photos looked really valuable. I suppose the old sayings true, "you always want what you can't have." Also, I'm a hopeless romantic; my more emotive shots were directed and created at a time of heartbreak or angst.... I see my photography as a way of expressing myself through fictional old world characters.
FilepMotwary:What does photography and fashion mean to you? How involved do you see yourself in?
ElvisDiFazio:I see photography as a medium of art and expression... some people like to paint to express themselves, others may make music. For me taking photos is the one way I can truly convey what I am feeling, allow others to access it as well. I also like the fashion aspect of photography, but art is my true passion. However, I do absolutely love fashion advertisement campaigns... the idea of creating one amazing or iconic image, recognizable globally and setting the mood of the brand is something I would like to be a part of.
FilepMotwary:Your mentioned something about a publication you have planned. Could you share more details with us?ElvisDiFazio: I want to get two books published. Currently I am collecting / creating images of friends and models like these images you see here. I want the book to be gloss, and thick, with page after page of amazing images, but I don't think I will have a solid collection for some years to come. On the side I am creating a book called "boys will be boys", a collection of raw Polaroid style shots of straight boys being obnoxious for the camera. I am very selective of who I shoot, most the boys look like teenage heart throb jocks from American teen flicks. A lot of them are actually shot in there own sports uniforms, in their own rooms surrounded by posters of naked girls/cars, posing on their beds for the camera, It makes the image more natural.
None of the boys are actually nude. This book is a sexy voyeuristic study of the guy you would fantasize about in high school but could never get because he was straight....this project is bringing the fun back into art for me.... It also really tests my directional skills as a photographer, because these shots are more about capturing a moment, so I really need to direct well for each set up and keep snapping until I get the right shot.
FilepMotwary:You are only 24, yet your point of view is very precise by looking at what you do. How did everything start for you?
ElvisDiFazio: I kind of fell into photography. I used to lift images from old magazines to make screen print paintings. These images were of glamorous actresses from the 60's and old shots of boys from physic pictorials from the 50's. My idol at the time was pop artist Robert Rauchenberg.
The screen print paintings I created were great, but one time a person said to me
"This is really great Elvis but these images are not yours, you may be re-creating something you have sauced from the past, but wouldn't it be more impressive if you created these images of people yourself?"
This gave me the inspiration and push I needed, so shortly after I started to created mock ups of friends in a 60's portraiture style, experimenting with wigs, make up, interior and different lighting techniques, all shot in black and white. Then I would screen print my shots.
I got better and better at taking the shots of my friends and eventually it got to the point where the shots were complete as they were and screen printing the photo would only take away from it's original charm.
FilepMotwary:You also design clothes. How does photography help clothes and vice versa. Which of the two do you prefer and why?
ElvisDiFazio:Well I started screen printing my photos onto t-shirts in 1999 and selling the tops in boutiques around oz. It was different at the time; the idea of off centered prints and hand painted garments was new and exciting.... It gave me a lot of money to work on big art projects and kept me from having to work retail. I used to print my full name on the back of all my tees.... It was a marketing stunt. I wouldn't really call it fashion, just using fashion as a medium to get my work out there to the masses.
FilepMotwary: How many are the people you work closely with and who are they? Why did you choose them?ElvisDiFazio: I am self-taught in make up and hair so I rarely work with others on my projects because I like to be very intimate with my subjects. However, if I need to submit a fashion editorial I will call my friend Bex Sheers for styling, Pat Marsh for help with location and some art directing, Hugh Scanlon for hair, and I don't really have a favorite make up artist.
I chose Bex because she's a good friend of mine and very resourceful as a stylist. She can make anything look expensive, fierce and sexy which is what I love about her work. She also believes in me and takes a back seat when I'm shooting which is very important when you're on a big shoot.
Patrick Marsh is amazing because he is always excited about my ideas; he is very connected and also loves what I do. He has no problem letting me do my thing once he has done all he can to help. Also he's just a very genuine man, he's just great.
I have known Hugh Scanlon for years, we are such good friends, and he was the one who taught me how to do hair. He has a great understanding of my aesthetic. He can almost read my mind when it comes to hair.
My good friend Thom Kerr is very supportive too; he is a great fashion photographer! When it comes to work and even personal advice in general he's always right. A very wise man.
FilepMotwary: How do you approach a theme or subject at work?
ElvisDiFazio: Most of my themes are something I've been obsessed with, so I just collect things needed for the shoot like old garments and props from charity shops. I usually grab these first and one day I will find the location and then I will source the model.
A lot of the times I will be chatting to a new friend and the character comes to me in a vision, and the rest just falls into place. It's all very organic.
FilepMotwary: What was the most exiting thing for you in 2007? How about 2008? How did this year start for you?
ElvisDiFazio:Haha!! 2007 was well... not very good for me... I broke my ankle in a dance floor accident and lost half a year to the mending.... It did however give me a lot of time to reflect.
Work was slow and my love life was in a bit of turmoil. As soon as it hit 08 though, everything started looking up for me. I was a finalist in a photography competition held by Harpers Bazaar magazine and I held my first solo exhibition at an amazing gallery space here in Sydney called the Chauvel. It was a huge success selling almost all my photographic panels
FilepMotwary: Your future plans?
ElvisDiFazio: Traveling to different places around the world and shooting beautiful people for my collections sounds like a good plan to me!
I also want to experiment with new exciting photography techniques and styles. As soon as I get good at something I get bored, so I'm sure new themes for books will present themselves as the time goes on.
FilepMotwary: Where do you see fashion going these days? What motivates you to continue doing what you do?
ElvisDiFazio:I'm not sure what fashion is doing these days but I see people here in Sydney being frustrated with how fickle fashion is... everyone is kind of just doing there own thing rather then following a trend.
I am motivated by my obsession with collecting people through my photography... if I don't collect them I feel like I'm not doing my job.
FilepMotwary: Do you feel that the world is changing or is it something one can watch on the news? Are you afraid?
ElvisDiFazio: I love the convenience of the times we live in, microwave ovens, Internet, mobile phones, digital photography. But I am afraid of a world where everything is meant to be more time efficient but because everything is designed to make everyday living easy. If you think about it, it actually means we have to work 3 times as much... eek! FilepMotwary: What would you change?
ElvisDiFazio: I would change how fast paced the world has become. It would be good to be back in a time were you could create something from scratch and work on it for months or even years with out having to cut corners. I feel like there is such a push to be rich and successful over night, that maybe things don't evolve in a way they could and reach there full potential.
NOTE: ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHS COPYRIGHTS ELVIS DI FAZIO
The interview was part of ISTEROGRAFO Fashion Issue 4, Edited/ Curated By Filep Motwary
