Italian photographer Giuseppe Putignano creates mostly in analog, capturing street life and portraiture.
His subject is the vibrant subcultural youth juxtaposed with historic cities and abandoned, dilapidated buildings. By documenting civil unrest, he becomes a librarian of societal shifts and alternative, underrepresented voices.
Putignano’s photography is loud and unabashed. It does not aim to bring viewers comfort; it is ready to confront and attack, if needed. It is full of life lived to the fullest.
Youth, music, tattoos, weed, graffiti, and bruises—these are the ingredients that give life to Putignano’s depiction of skateboard culture. His work consists of impromptu photo-editorials at the edge of the urban, concrete-riddled periphery, overlapping with the nightlife of a pale yet colorful city.
His lively photography sheds light on the underground—a place where flowers grow through pavement cracks and beauty blooms under abandoned bridges. Part of an ongoing project soon to be released, this series of three photographs provides a glimpse into exactly what such a ‘pavement-flower’ editorial looks like.
The plastic foil becomes a metaphor for litter, and the walls behind serve as a sample of the urban, grayed-out backdrop. Out of this loom the colorful hair and bright eyes of his subjects. This series is atypical for Putignano; straying from his usual underground skate aesthetic, he touches upon his more sensitive side, telling a short story of beauty and resilience.
Read our “Camouflage” issue in full
RAWGUE.’s 4th issue delved into the grey, moody, and cold atmosphere of winter. Yet it did not sink into the depths of madness or depression. Instead, it embraced this season of hibernation, allowing 31 artists from all over the world to present their timid work beneath a veil of quiet beauty.
We’re a team of writers using our craft to spotlight art in its most honest form. RAWGUE. started as a bi-monthly editorial experiment where each issue’s theme is dictated by the submitted work, thus removing editorial bias from the equation and preserving a more raw approach. We focus on all forms of poetry: written, photographed, painted, drawn, and filmed.
