Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo is known more for her collection of contemporary art than for her passion for early photography. But she is staging an exhibition called New Images of Antiquity: Photography in 19th-Century Italy (until 29 May) at her Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin. Here, she talks about her interest in the genre.
Why did you start collecting photography?
Photography has always fascinated me. When I started collecting in the early 1990s, my collection was divided into five themes, and photography was one of them. Today the collection has evolved and is not strictly categorised by nationality, genre or medium any more; nevertheless, photography is still a focus for me. Besides contemporary photography, I am also interested in historical photography. I have around 3,000 photographs dating from the mid-1800s, which together trace the history of the Italian landscape.
What trends do you notice in contemporary photography?
Identity and gender are two issues still investigated. Identity is often combined with memory, the memory of the artist themself as well as the memory of a country—another big issue in the contemporary world, where people are always moving, looking for a better place to live. Gender today is so open and easily declinable—from the human body to the idea of a specific sense of belonging to something.
Do you see evidence of contemporary artists returning to film photography, instead of digital?
Hiroshi Sugimoto has never stopped using film. Thomas Ruff has not used film for almost 20 years. Axel Hütte—one of the Düsseldorf School of photographers, along with Ruff—only uses a large camera with film. It depends on the artist. If you need to feel time passing, to physically live through the experience of shooting, film is best. Digital photography can transform your vision and, sometimes, allows you to invent a new one.