Behind the Walls #1

Image courtesy of Getty images by photographer Andrew H. Walker

Paolo Ventura (born in Milan, 1968) studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan in the early 1990s. After several years as a fashion photographer in Italy, Ventura moved to New York and soon after began making and photographing miniature theater-like scenarios where he staged his puppets/actors, often dressing them as soldiers or in outfits of bygone days. He has since moved back to Italy and now lives in Tuscany with his wife and young son. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at Forma International Center for Photography, Milan; Rencontres de la Photographie, Arles, France; Fotomuseum Den Haag, Netherlands; and Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris. In 2011, his work was included in the 54th Venice Biennial, Italian pavilion, Vencie, Italy.