Photographer Leonardo Magrelli reveals what the mirror sees when no one is present

The Meerrors project by photographer Leonardo Magrelli reveals what mirrors reflect when no-one is stood in front of them. Quite simply, the premise shows a view that exists on the edge of possibility and Leonardo places the viewer where they physically can’t be. The images are a play on traditional portraits and still life pictures – presenting a reality with out any alterations, something Leonardo describes as “the cancellation of the self portrait.” “It’s an exploration of the sensation of unease that some people – me included – feels in front of a camera,” says Leonardo. “A discomfort that less and less people experience today, in the era of selfies, and that probably comes when we look at our own image, in which not always we can fully recognise ourselves.”

“What really interests me is the possibility and the boundaries of digital photography,” says Leonardo. “I’m far from being a purist of analogical photography, and I’m against the demonization of the digital one. I think that a medium should be studied and used to express or show things that no other medium can say.”

The images are taken in bathrooms, bedrooms, public conveniences, photo studios and more. The composition and framing of each creates a disconcerting reality where the eye is drawn to where the photographer or the camera should be, but is instead presented with a stillness. “I made several attempts to finally define a method to make me disappear from those mirrors,” explains Leonardo. “For the photoshop users I can guarantee that it was not a mere clone-stamp job! It was a much more photographical approach. A magician should never unveil his tricks, but I had to take different shoots each time, and mount them really meticulously.”

Leonardo has started working with curator Alessandro Tini to find an exhibition space for the Meerror series and had just embarked on a new project that investigates family portraits.