Photo Country Returns: Sandra Cattaneo Adorno on Experimentation, Light, and Training the Eye
Photo Country returns after host Rajeev’s creative rut with a comeback interview featuring Brazilian photographer and artist Sandra Cattaneo Adorno, discussing her latest exhibition, “Fragments of Light,” at the Venice Biennale. Adorno describes experimenting with metallic inks, shifting from celebratory gold on black paper to reflective silver on dark blue paper, and how the process abstracts images by stripping away detail so some photos translate better than others. She outlines the exhibition’s multiple viewing modes: a shimmering silver-screen video where images melt and re-form, 13 prints, a cloth print tied to curtain panels, and a floor photo mosaic with mirrored backing reflecting the room and canal. Adorno explains her intuitive, high-volume shooting guided by light and shadow, her rejection of AI, her emphasis on training the eye over buying new cameras, and her advice to stay curious, joyful, and influenced by museums, painters, and photography books; prints are available via Robert Mann Gallery in New York.
Her next exhibition: Sandra Cattaneo Adorno: Fragments of Light, on view May 9 – November 22, 2026, at Palazzo Bembo during the 8th Edition of Personal Structures: Confluences, Venice.
00:00 Photography for Fun
00:33 Podcast Comeback Intro
02:01 Gold to Silver Prints
04:34 Tactile Flashcard Set
06:52 Exhibition Walkthrough
09:32 How the Idea Started
12:25 Reflections and Photoshop
14:18 Fast Shooting Process
19:16 Train Your Eye Not Gear
22:19 Art Inspiration and Favourites
24:44 Books Prints and Wrap Up
26:19 Closing and Next Episode
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