Mobile Photography & Art – ‘Intimate Interview’ with Marilisa Andriani @mitrydate from Molfetta, Puglia, Italy
Our fifty fourth interview in this new series of intimate interviews is with talented mobile photographer and artist Marilisa Andriani from Molfetta, Puglia, South of Italy and whom you may recognise from her popular Instagram account @mitrydate. This is a tender and evocative interview with spellbinding imagery. Enjoy!
To read the other published interviews in this series including artists, Adria Ellis, Rino Rossi, Mehmet Duyulmus, Alexis Rotella, Lou Ann Sanford Donahue, Irene Oleksiuk, Kerry Mitchell, Filiz Ak, Dale Botha, Lisa Mitchell, M. Cecilia Sao Thiago, Deborah McMillion, Rita Colantonio, Amy Ecenbarger, Jane Schultz, Anca Balaj, Joyce Harkin, Armineh Hovanesian, Kate Zari Roberts, Vicki Cooper, Peter Wilkin, Barbara Braman, Becky Menzies, Sukru Mehmet Omur, Sarah Bichachi, Michel Pretterklieber, Alon Goldsmith, Judy Lurie Whalberg, Andrea Bigiarni, Sean Hayes, Oola Cristina, Kathleen Magner-Rios, Linda Toki, Deb Field, Emilo Nadales, Lydia Cassatt, David Hayes, Jean Hutter, Frederic Deschênes, Mark Schnidman, Fatma Korkut, Fleur Schim, Rob Pearson-Wright, Dieter Gaebel, James Ellis, Marco P Prado, Jeronimo Sanz, Manuela Matos Monteiro, Bleu Chemiko, Manuela Basaldella, Stefania Piccioni, Luis Rodríguez and myself, go here.
All images ©Marilisa Andriani
What was your earliest childhood ambition?
As a child, I’m sure I never had any particular ambitions. I was a little girl who grew up with two younger brothers and therefore not being able to share feminine passions at home, I have always had my own world, soloist, made of play and discovery for what I didn’t know.
First Recognition?
My first acknowledgments were the achievements at the lyric institutions where, after having participated with auditions for the choir, of theaters such as the “Opera” of Rome first, and the “Teatro alla Scala” later, I was able to feed on Art at the highest levels.
In the photographic field, on the other hand, there have been several awards received from international photography hubs. Thanks to @14&15mobilephotographers and to @friendsinperson, I had the opportunity to be selected together with 99 other photographers in the world for writing the book “50K” following a large selection of over 250 participants in 2017. In 2018 instead, again following a new competition, “Metropolis”, announced by @14&15mobilephotographers together with @bnw_demand, I had the honor of being chosen along with other great artists of the panorama world, and appear in this other wonderful photo album. Thanks to @rainstation, one of my shots was chosen to take part in an exhibition held in London at the Saatchi Gallery. Great honor, for me! And finally, among other things, great honor has been and is to receive mentions from Joanne Carter, a Woman champion of art that allows @theappwhisperer to spread the creativity and beauty of the image in the world through photography.
First Job?
My first assumption took place at the Petruzzelli theater in Bari and the Politeama theater in Lecce, immediately after I obtained my diploma in opera singing. I failed to mention, that I am a musician. I do not like the labels of “singer”, “pianist”, disciplines that I cultivate from the age of 6 and which are my profession. I really like musician!
Private or State school?
I have always studied in public schools for the achievement of maturity. My singing and piano music studies, on the other hand, were all private.
University or work?
At 21, after graduating in opera singing with the Spanish mezzo-soprano Maria Coronada Herrera, I attended masterclasses with distinguished singers of the caliber of Alfredo Kraus, Gianni Raimondi, Paolo Washington, Katia Ricciarelli and many others still wanting to pursue a solo career. But at the same time, I tried to audition in the choir, for economic autonomy. In the end, I opted for the latter activity, for several reasons.
Who was or still is your mentor?
I am very close to my father. He has always been the point of reference in my life.
As for my work, there are several artists who have marked my path … Thanks to work meetings that gave me strong emotions, as well as allowed me to strengthen my artistic technique. In photography, I learned to understand that so many photograph … Me included .. But the real Masters, are those who are no longer with us .. Here, only they have a special charm on me .. It will also be because they had the luck of portraying a slice of life from a time that no longer exists.
How physically fit are you?
I would say that for my 50 years, just turned, I can’t complain. I don’t like doing sport and struggling to be fit .. Maybe because I am long-limbed … And this helps me..I love swimming, when I feel like it … In the pool or at the sea.
Ambition or Talent. What matters more to success?
Talent and a dose of healthy unconsciousness. I have never been ambitious. I believe in hard work, in perseverance. And above all, I always want to like it. Self-esteem for me matters a lot. With this premise, everything that comes into life is gospel. This is what I think.
How politically committed are you?
Politics does not belong to me. I have my policy. What makes me live in respect of others, my work, nature and so on. I have never needed politics in my life path. I would continue to think of something else …
What would you like to own that you don’t currently possess?
I have everything I need! Health, family, an adorable son and a loving and caring husband. Perhaps some extra money would not please me to travel more. We musicians, artisans of music do not sail in gold.
What is your biggest extravagance?
Probably, publish several shots a day, on Instagram, elaborating curious edits so as not to get bored … Hahah! I hope not to annoy my followers … But it is an antistress for me, photography.
I think mine has become a craze! Photography has always been in the ropes, in the family. My father shot with a Yashica in the cockpit .. I was one of his favorite subjects for the portraits he loved and still loves today! I then rediscovered it thanks to Instagram. Much faster, thanks to the cameras of the telephone devices and the applications that I believe make the fun guaranteed!
In which places are you happiest?
Everywhere. But I love breathing beauty.
What ambitions do you still have?
I would like a bright future for my son. This is my greatest ambition.
What drives you on?
Optimism and proactivity.
What do you find most irritating in other people?
Nothing. I live and let live. I only attend freely whom I esteem.
If your twenty year old self could see you now, what would she think?
I think she would compliment me on how I fought to date.
Which object that you’ve lost do you wish you still had?
I’m not tied to material things. I like to renew myself, even keeping the memory of what I no longer have.
What is the greatest challenge of our time?
Rediscover human dignity. We live in a very poor society .. I am very sad about this ..
Do you believe in an afterlife?
Yup! I already see myself up there conversing to the point of exhaustion with all those whom I have met in life … Poor them .. Ahah !!
If you had to rate your satisfaction with life so far, out of 10, what would you score?
Nine! Perfection does not exist!
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter is a British photography journalist, editor, curator, and the founder of *TheAppWhisperer.com*, one of the world’s leading platforms dedicated to mobile photography and art. Since its launch in 2009, TheAppWhisperer has become an international hub for artists of all levels to discover, learn, exhibit, and engage with contemporary photographic practice.Built on principles of inclusivity, accessibility, and artistic excellence, Joanne has spent almost two decades championing mobile photography as a serious artistic medium. Through interviews, critical essays, exhibitions, competitions, and education, she has helped shape and document the evolution of mobile art on a global scale.Her work has taken her internationally, lecturing on photography and mobile art at institutions and events including the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea, alongside appearances in the UK and Europe. She has served as a juror for international photography and mobile art awards across Portugal, Canada, the United States, South Korea, Italy, and the UK.Joanne is also the founder of *TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com*, one of the first online galleries dedicated exclusively to collectible mobile art, connecting artists with collectors across Europe, the United States, and Asia.Before founding TheAppWhisperer, Joanne worked extensively in print journalism and photographic publishing, including roles at a paparazzi photo agency and as deputy editor of a leading photography magazine. Her freelance journalism, criticism, and commentary have been published widely in both the UK and the US, with bylines in *The Times*, *The Sunday Times*, *The Guardian*, *Popular Photography*, *NikonPro*, *DPReview*, *Which?*, *Vogue Italia*, *LensCulture*, the *BBC*, and more recently, the *Financial Times*, where her published letters on photography continue to contribute to wider conversations around the medium.Alongside her editorial and curatorial work, Joanne’s own photographic practice has been exhibited internationally across the UK, Europe, South Korea, and the United States. Her work increasingly explores themes of grief, loss, death, memory, and the body.Her current research interests centre on grief, death, and poverty, with forthcoming postgraduate study leading towards doctoral research in these areas.Joanne is currently developing new long-form writing and photographic projects and is available for commissions, editorial projects, speaking engagements, and collaborations.Contact: joannetheappwhisperer@gmail.com)
