Leonardo Magrelli

Born in Rome in 1989, holds a ba in Design and Architecture. After an initial experience as a graphic designer, he soon after began focusing on his photography. In the last years his works has been published in several printed and online photography magazines, and has been displayed in collective exhibitions and festivals. His first book, West of Here, has been published in early 2021 by Yoffy Press. Since 2017 is part of the collective Vaste Programme together with Giulia Vigna and Alessandro Tini.

West of Here

At first glance West of Here looks like a classical photographic survey of Los Angeles, following in the footsteps of the many great photographers who worked in that city. But with a closer look, the book reveals more. Cropped and turned to black and white by the author, all the images are originally taken by different users around the world playing Grand Theft Auto V —a video game set in an “open world” scenario that closely resembles Los Angeles and its surroundings. Is it possible to photograph this place? And what does it mean to do so? What light are we writing with? While exploring the possibilities and the meanings of photographing a virtual place, the work addresses further issues, such as our belief in this medium as a trace of reality, and the truthfulness of documentary style.
The edition, published by Yoffy Press in the early 2021, is accompanied by two critical texts, written by Britt Salvesen, curator and head of the Photography Department at LACMA in Los Angeles, and Mirjam Kooiman, curator at the Foam Museum in Amsterdam.

To view more of Leonardo Magrelli’s work please visit their website.