Mohamed Sobhy

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Dreaming of Venice

Every November, Alejandro Merizalde goes to Venice to fall in love again and again. But it wasn’t love as first sight with the city of water and light.

On Alejandro’s first trip to Venice—or, as he and the locals call it, Venezia—he was overwhelmed by the tourists crammed into the narrow streets and canals. “There’s a constant chatter in a multitude of languages, and group after group of tourists bump into you, stopping every few feet to make a photograph of something that’s obstructed by 50 other people trying to do exactly the same.” He left frustrated by his unfruitful journey to the city he had long dreamed about. Alejandro would later return to Venice to see the famed DaVinci drawing “The Vitruvian Man” as he pursued his training as an artist. It was this trip that permanently shifted his view of Venice.

“Seeing the Leonardo drawing at the Galleria [dell’Accademia] gave me a new perspective on how proportion—in art and life—can affect my perception of things. I prefer an empty street to a crowded plaza, and my work in Venezia—and in photography in general—is a reflection of that. I have a visceral need to breathe the lagoon in early winter and wander about making photographs when no one is around. There’s nothing more stimulating than being alone in Venezia. My heart beats faster at the turn of a corner or just standing at the edge of a fondamenta, waiting for my shutter to close.”

After this experience, Alejandro knew how he wanted to document Venice on his annual visits: in its “purest, most basic state.” He uses long exposure to blur the water and eliminate human interruption. He says he doesn’t need to use Photoshopping or embellishment onfor the photos. They encapsulate all of the magic and emotion of this enchanted city.

“A city that will always see me coming back.”