Michael Famighetti

Nov 14, 2024 | aperture.org | Michael Famighetti

Cinephiles might recognize the pristine beaches of Porquerolles from Jean-Luc Godard’s 1965 film Pierrot le fou. The small island just off France’s southern coast is a national park with little development—no cars, few houses—but abundant natural splendor, and in our age of far-flung destination art locations, there is also an arts foundation with a compelling program and collection.

Aug 16, 2024 | aperture.org | Michael Famighetti

Luigi Ghirri did not preoccupy himself with cars, but he did enjoy driving. He owned a number of Volkswagen Beetles that were constantly breaking down. In the 1980s, he switched to a Volvo station wagon, paragon of Swedish vehicular functionality and safety. An accumulation of unpaid traffic fines suggests he may not have been a great driver, or that he was blasé about traffic rules.

Jun 21, 2024 | aperture.org | Michael Famighetti

In the late 1970s Tokuko Ushioda lived in a modest fifteen-tatami-mat apartment with her husband and their newborn daughter. They lived sparingly. A couch doubled as a guest bed; the kitchen consisted of a table in the corner; they shared a downstairs bathroom with the building’s other residents. One day, her husband arrived home with an old Swedish refrigerator that Ushioda described to be as large as a polar bear.

Dec 8, 2023 | aperture.org | Michael Famighetti

Museums aren’t usually compared to playgrounds. Such institutions tend to rest on their projection of authority and expertise. In the 1980s, the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam sought to challenge this assumption through a series of group exhibitions devoted to exploring what play might mean in a typically buttoned-up context.

Jun 16, 2023 | aperture.org | Michael Famighetti