Urban Theatre
If we take a closer look at our surroundings, our cities can be seen as continuous theatrical performances, where unexpected acts unfold in a perpetual flow. The layers, tensions, and interconnections between urban spaces and their architecture play a key role in tying these acts into a cohesive theatrical representation. ‘Urban Theatre’ reflects Francesco's exploration of the relationship between the setting and its content. It captures the dynamic between urban ‘scenography’ and unwitting ‘actors,’ revealing how they complement each other, showcasing the built environment as our everyday stage.
“Francesco Montaguti's photographic eye seems to be indebted to a certain social photography, that of a R.Depardon. However, in ‘Urban Theatre’, we are not observing the suburbs of the lower classes or the condition of the workers, there are no political positions taken here. The analysis is taken to another level, that of a universal existential condition, a sort of narration of our relationship with the world: with other human beings, with the landscape, the territory. And with architecture, because his training leaves an indelible mark on how he captures glimpses, lines, volumes, lights and shadows. Constructing the views like building a project. Not of a monument, condemned to always remain the same, but of an architecture intended to house people's lives and evolve with it. Therefore, Francesco’s photographs are a continuous flow of life, captured and enclosed within a rigorous visual structure”
Pierluigi Molteni