Statement
As a photographer, I observe the world through paradox. I develop long-term photographic projects on a variety of subjects, such as the plight of wildlife and the influence of brands on collective identity. When highlighting elements at odds with each other, I seek not to resolve contradictions, but to hold opposing truths in tension until the essential emerges.
Through extremes, clarity arises.
Paradox is my lens. Within my images, beauty and discomfort coexist; certainty collapses, and deeper understanding begins. For example, a Burger King logo on a Kenyan public bus can be transformed into a “Jesus is my King” slogan, underlining the symbol’s potential iterations. By contrasting ideas, forms, and emotions, I uncover the limits of their meanings. In pushing these concepts, truth becomes visible.
These tensions are entry points. They invite the viewer to sit with discomfort, to hold conflicting interpretations, and to question concepts they consider immovable.
Art, for me, is not about resolution. It is about confrontation with the self, with the world, and with the beliefs we live by. Through paradox, I challenge perception, evoke uncertainty, and make space for complexity. In that space, truth reveals itself as a layered, evolving question.
Bio
Federico Pestilli is born in Rome in 1985. His work is the result of his international training. After earning a degree in history at the Sorbonne in Paris, he moved to New York to train in the field of fashion. It is here that he begins to develop an independent body of work which leads him to explore remote corners of the world. He lives and works between London and Rome.
Exhibitions
2024 “Passion in Stone” Westin Excelsior, Rome.
2018 “A Shade of Pale” The Store X, London.
Press and awards
2024 Man In Town
2024 ILFORD photographer in focus
2023 ILFORD community grant
2022 Wallpaper Magazine
2021 Fotodemic
2020 Champ Magazine
2020 Yatzer Magazine
2020 Elle Decor
Resumé
Download CV here.
Commercial work can be found here.