The Ameriguns by Gabriele Galimberti - Kansas 001.
The Ameriguns by Gabriele Galimberti - Kansas 001.
Printed on Baryta Prestige II Canson 340g paper and certified by ARTtrust.
All prints are accompanied by a certificate containing the artist’s signature and the details of the print.
Available in two formats: 80x60cm and 140x105cm. Limited edition.
Worldwide shipping included. For special mounts and frames please contact us by email before making a purchase.
For over two years, Gabriele Galimberti conducted a visual inquiry on gun culture in the United States, guided by a single obsession: translating this social phenomenon into images. Enshrined as a fundamental right, at the very heart of the Constitution, gun ownership is anchored in all aspects of the American life, sometimes blending into some of its most sacred values. The number of arms (400 million) in the country has, as a matter of fact, surpassed that of the population growth (338 million). Galimberti’s images bring this truth to light, revealing the unexpected sides of the America that loves weapons.
Through social media, the photographer met men, women, and families from whom he drew a series of portraits all made within their living environments, their privacy.
Digging deeper into this duality, the photographer presents us with methodical, broad and frontal shots of his subjects, giving to his images a dimension both artistic and documentary from which one can make an objective inventory. These photographs, taken following a precise protocole, are never candid as they articulate a rhythm exempt of any motion. All traces of naturalness have been carefully erased.
His photographs present as carefully curated portraits. The families wear a straightforward expression, one could say a victorious one, where neither despair nor fear can be read. Surrounded by their gun collections, Galimberti found geometry in these families' pride and contentment.
The composition of his images favors cleverly organized spaces, sometimes almost partitioned, where the mise-en-scène gives the whole a graphic effect. Within these settings, the weapons are laid down in rows, circles or in the shape of stars: always meticulously arranged, they blend into the delicate fabric of these intimate environments. In such compositions they look almost harmless, toylike. In these domestic spaces where they appear to be united, the weapons reveal the values and ideals of their owners. Without becoming too cinematic, the lighting setup—always artificial—increases the theatrical range of the image.
Full of restraint, these photographs keep themselves away from all sensualism: here, violence remains latent, since rifles and handguns represent less a symbol of armament, and more an evocation of the unspeakable existence of guns with their compressed potential for explosivity. Without ever sacrificing the aesthetic value of his images, Galimberti thus points out the discrepancies, the paradoxes. But also a sad devotion: that of the American way of life.
Floyd and Lesia McMillin (both 49 years old) – Topeka, Kansas
Floyd and Lesia McMillin’s enormous home is a showcase of hunting trophies. Stuffed deer, squirrels, ducks and geese, eyes frozen in time, stare as visitors pass through each room. There are quite a few—more than one per room, so at least 20. The sole exception is the bedroom, hung with portraits but otherwise strangely bare. It is here, however, that we find the guns that were used to hunt the animals. Most aren’t loaded, the couple say. Only one or two are ready to be fired at a moment’s notice, “in the defense of the family.” Their collection consists of 65 pieces, and there's always something new. Each month, the McMillins spend roughly $2,500 on ammunition, accessories and new additions.
Their passion for guns has been in their blood since childhood. Both come from families of hunters, people who would spend every moment of leisure time escaping into the great outdoors in search of prey. Floyd first shot a gun with his father, when he was 6 years old. At age 12, he was already spending much of his time pursuing game. At 17, he began participating in shooting contests. Lesia, on the other hand, had never fired a weapon until she was 46, when her husband bought her a Sig Sauer 380 and taught her to use it at the firing range. Until then, while on hunting trips firstly with her father and then her husband, she had only ever given tips and instructions. The McMillins own a very busy gun shop. “65% of our new customers are women who’ve never shot a gun before. Many have gone through something that’s made them want to learn how to defend themselves. Most of them say that, between the time they called the police and the time the officers got there, the worst had already happened. A gun gives them more power, more security.”
Gabriele Galimberti
Born in 1977 in Italy Lives and works in Italy Gabriele Galimberti studied photography at the Fonzadione Studio Marangoni. He ran a professional photography studio and a gallery in Florence before becoming a full-time photographer, doing both commissioned work for international magazines and newspapers (National Geographic, The Sunday Times, Geo…) and long-term personal documentary projects. The latter have been published by Random House and Abrams, to great acclaim. (Toy Stories, In Her Kitchen, My Couch Is Your Couch and The Heavens).
His work has been exhibited all around the world, notably at the Swiss festival Images Vevey, but also at the Rencontres de la photographie d’Arles (2015), at the Perpignan Visa pour l’image (2021) and at the London V&A.
Gabriele has won the World Press Photo 2021 in the “Portraits” category with his project THE AMERIGUNS.
