Giuseppe Mastromatteo’s conceptual portrait photography that explores personal identity

His surreal images are mix reality with retouching, taking advantage of digital technology to reproduce humanity in impossible and illusory dimensions. Faces are ripped, hands have eyes, and human anatomy is surgically rearranged in these absurd images.

After working in the record industry as a sound technician and musician, Giuseppe was drawn to the art world, choosing photography as his creative medium of choice. His work has since been shown at art galleries, museums and festivals around the world, including in Milan, Paris, London, Miami, Peking, Basel, Istanbul and New York. He is also Chief Creative Officer for Ogilvy Italy.

A retrospective exhibition spanning 15 years of his work is taking place at 29artsinprogress.com Gallery in Milan until 18 November, including his most recent series, Eyedentikit.

Giuseppe merges with the gaze of his photographic subjects throughout Eyedentikit, by replacing all of their eyes with his own. "It’s a merging between I who am taking the photograph and the subject I’m photographing, and we meet halfway – ideally in the space that lies between us in order to become a new subject," he says. "I give a piece of myself, but I also – virtually – take a piece of them. That distance is summarised in an image that is different than the one I see through the lens – which is only a starting point."

He has also just launched his first book, Humanscape, made up of 110 photographs, alongside contributions from Rankin, Denis Curti and Oliviero Toscani.

You can discover more of his work at giuseppemastromatteo.com.