Franco Velastiqui's photographs: "I am in love with Asian beauty and its expressive sexual energy"
While working abroad as a model, Franco Velastiqui discovered photography as his comfort in unfamiliar lands. Through his simple yet striking black-and-white images, the Argentinian-born artist aims to capture visuals that speak for themselves.
Gata: Can you please introduce yourself
Franco: My name is Franco Velastiqui. I was born in Cordoba, Argentina, but I’m currently living in Mexico D.F. as a photographer and model.
Gata: What first sparked your interest in photography?
Franco: I first came into contact with photography three years ago. When I bought my first camera I didn't know how to use it, but I practised by taking pictures of my friends, and it was also a way for me to discover my sexual identity. Since I used to travel around as a model, I had the opportunity to visit many places. At the time I was not able to speak English, so photography was my means of connecting with other people as well as with my surroundings. I remember once while living in China, I came home and realized that I hadn’t spoken a single word that day. I love to take pictures because the world is beautiful, and capturing one moment in a still frame feels like poetry to me.
Gata: Why do you shoot mostly in black and white?
Franco: I am drawn to the way colour and light are expressed in paintings, so in that sense, I find colour very interesting. But I love taking black and white pictures because there is less distraction; the focus of the photograph is on the expression of the person. I love capturing expressions that speak for themselves.
Gata: You have a unique style, I would even say a little underground. What is your process like?
Franco: Photography is a way for me to express my emotions. We live in a world that is falling apart, and I can’t help but try to find a way to express the reality I see every day. I like to stay at home and sit with myself to first try to understand how I feel. That way, I have space to reflect on what it is I hope to capture, and I can bring it with me into the moment when I take photos. Sometimes I am angry. But we also live in a beautiful world, and the mere fact of existence and of possibilities makes me feel at peace.
“When I bought my first camera I didn’t know how to use it, but I practiced by taking pictures of my friends, and it was also a way for me to discover my sexual identity”
Gata: A lot of your models are Asian. Do you feel especially inspired by Asian beauty?
Franco: Coming from South America, I see Asia as a new and unknown planet. I am in love with Asian beauty and its expressive sexual energy.
Gata: Who is your main inspiration?
Franco: I have many, so I am just going to list the first that come to my mind: Araki Nobuyoshi (my favourite photographer), Robert Mapplethorpe, Ian Curtis, Auguste Rodin, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Picasso...always Picasso, Thom Yorke, William Blake...
“I am drawn to the way color and light are expressed in paintings, so in that sense I find color very interesting. But I love taking black and white pictures because there is less distraction; the focus of the photograph is on the the expression of the person.”
Gata: A lot of artists feel inspired by other mediums. What’s been inspiring you lately?
Franco: I feel very inspired by all kinds of art pieces from earlier times. Sometimes I like to reference old paintings, or use poses that I have seen from sculptures. I am especially inspired by the artist Auguste Rodin, of whom I had the pleasure of meeting three years ago thanks to my girlfriend. I love poetry too — as of late, I have been reading a lot of work by Roberto Bolaño.
Gata: What kind of camera do you use? Do you prefer shooting analogue or digital?
Franco: I use a Canon 6D and I always shoot digital photos. I bought an analogue camera awhile back, but I haven’t experimented with it much yet.
Gata: What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Franco: I am very open to all types of music, rhythms, and styles — a song by Joy Division can reach your heart just as a song by Frank Ocean can. Back when I was in school, I used to love falling asleep listening to Luis Alberto Spinetta.
Gata: What are your future plans or dreams?
Franco: Before becoming an artist I used to box, and my dream was to work as a professional boxer. I trained five or six hours a day, six days a week. As an artist, I still train, but my routine is focused on meditation and learning more and more about art. My biggest dream is to be able to express my creativity fully and to influence the minds of others. I still feel that I have much to learn about light, bodies, and my own way of thinking; I am still trying to decipher who I really am. In the future, I would also like to explore other mediums such as sculpture and performance.
Gata: Can you name your top three favourite movies?
Franco: My number one will always be Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring by Kim Ki-Duk — it was the first movie my father brought me to see in the cinema when I was five or six years old. The second would be A Clockwork Orange by Kubrick, and the third is The Basketball Diaries, based on the autobiography of Jim Carroll.
All photographs Franco Velastiqui
Edited by Daisy Brown