by Matteo Ferrari
An idea, which initially arose somewhat by chance, has developed into a photographic project with curious and compelling anthropological implications: a form of “monogamy” — that between a person and their car — which some owners maintain for decades, growing old together with their vehicle, which gradually comes to seem almost endowed with a soul.
The search for subjects takes place mainly in two ways: the author leaves small notes on every old car he sees around the city; from time to time, he also stops drivers of these veteran vehicles. In addition, he presents the project to everyone he knows, asking them to investigate within their families and, in turn, to spread the word among relatives and friends. Then the encounter takes place, to capture the passage of time within this particular symbiosis between human and machine: in the span of time between “yesterday and today”, the adventures and memories of an entire life become intertwined.
Automotive Monogamy — aimed at photography enthusiasts and those interested in human spirit — collects the stories of the people behind each vehicle, telling them both visually, through photographs taken in Italy, Argentina, and the United Kingdom, and through the short accompanying texts, revealing their singular and often epic experiences.
Matteo Ferrari
He started taking photographs at the age of ten, and since then photography has become an integral part of his life—first as a passion and later as a profession. He worked as a fashion photographer for fifteen years between Milan and Paris before moving to Costa Rica, where he currently lives and works.
Throughout his career, alongside commissioned work for major magazines, he has continuously pursued his own personal projects and has participated in more than twenty exhibitions worldwide. In 2014, together with a group of friends, he co-founded Gigantic, an independent gallery in Milan. He is also one of the two founders, together with Luca Merli, of Onde Nostre, a surf video project that has received numerous awards at international festivals dedicated to the field.
