‘A slow burn’: Why it’s never too late to take up photography

The word “emerging” suggests a creative to look out for, generally someone who is young and showing signs of promise.

Olympus by Nicholas GioiaCredit: Nicholas Gioia

However, in the case of Nicholas Gioia, an architect who has been focusing his practice on photography for the last 15 years, it’s been a slow burn with solo exhibitions in both Melbourne where he resides, and a couple of exhibitions in Turin, Italy.

And although Gioia sees himself as “emerging”, he recently turned 70.

“My transition into photography started by taking images on my Nokia phone of the many things I was drawn to on my walks whether it was certain gutters edging pavements or even the strange and bizarre, like an air conditioning unit awkwardly strung across a clothesline,” says Gioia.

An industrial site in Brunswick photographed at 7am on a Sunday morning presented quite a surrealist image, not dissimilar to a painting by artist Jeffrey Smart (hence this photograph is loosely referred to as ‘Jeff’).

Other photos have been taken in Turin. The Lingotto factory, for example, built after the First World War, features a ribbed concrete elliptical-shaped ramp. This photograph appears as an abstract form as do many of Gioia’s other images – including a pair of fleshy white hands appearing from a ceramic vessel. “Some of the things that attract my eye are quite mundane,” says Gioia, picking up an image taken in Turin of a concrete detail on the edge of a building.

“It looks like someone gasping with an open mouth. You could read the shape of the aperture as someone experiencing horror as much as someone completely elated or surprised,” he adds.

With 15 years of experience, Gioia’s photographs are still affordable, starting at $450 (includes GST) for the smaller works and up to $1800 for the larger images (unframed). Many works are purchased at exhibitions while others are sold by word-of-mouth.

And while Gioia sees certain things in his photographs, he prefers viewers to interpret them in their own way. “I’ve always been drawn to the visual arts, whether it’s painting or architecture. With architecture, you are continually looking at things and experiencing a space in different ways”.

Triremes by Nicholas Gioia.Credit: Nicholas Gioia

Architect Jacqui Wagner, manager of Gallery Atelier Wagner in North Fitzroy, will be hosting Gioia’s exhibition in May 2024.

“Nicholas has a certain way of looking at things in the world, transforming sometimes quite banal details into beautiful abstract forms. It’s not dissimilar to reading a novel and being taken out of your normal mental space. These photographs are also a portal into someone else’s world,” adds Wagner.

Arc One Gallery in Melbourne represents a number of significant photographers, including Pat Brassington, Murray Fredericks and Lydia Wegner, who are seen as artists in their own right.

Works by Pat Brassington sell for between $8,000 and $18,000, with one of her major pieces selling for $90,000. While some would gasp at this price, photography is becoming a more valuable art form.

“I generally look for something that doesn’t look like photography. Irrespective of the art form, I am looking for work that will resonate today as much as it will in decades to come,” says Arc One Gallery owner and director, Fran Clark.

“It’s certainly not about a fashion or a look. You need to feel completely drawn into the subject and the way it’s conveyed. With Brassington’s work, it’s surrealistic. It intrigues you and beckons curiosity,” she says.

While his photographs don’t sell for the prices of a Brassington or a Fredericks, those wanting to start a photographic collection may be interested to look at emerging photographers such as Gioia, with 15 years behind a lens and gaining a reputation, even at the age of 70.

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