Vincent Takes a Closer Look at Life in Shenzhen
Although Vincent Assante Di Cupillo calls himself a photographer now, that wasn’t always the case. He first left for China from his native France in 2000 to study wood engineering in Harbin for six months. It was on this trip that his passion for China began to manifest itself. After bouncing between China, France and Vietnam, he decided to give up his engineering career in wood furniture and devote his life to being a photographer, a choice he made 18 months ago.
Buzz: How long have you been based here in Shenzhen?
Vincent: More than two years.
Buzz: So you were here as an engineer. Why did you decide to remain in Shenzhen?
Vincent: Though not my first choice, I had already learned my way around, the proximity between Hong Kong and Shenzhen seemed to be an interesting place to be without so many photographers compared to other cities in China.
Buzz: Really? That could make my job interviewing photographers difficult. How would you describe your work?
Vincent: I have the need to balance commercial work and personal projects. I enjoy the challenges of commercial work and realized early on that I need it to put food on the table (a wooden one of course) so that I can pursue my own work too. I think I add a different quality to my work here. Maybe because I’m a foreigner and have the Asian experience too.
Buzz: That, and you still use film sometimes. I looked over your website, can you tell me about your recent personal project with the guys living on the street?
Vincent: The idea is to observe someone for one entire day and how they can survive in the cold weather outside during Chinese New Year. I began to hang around and slowly started to talk with them. As I got to know them, I told them of my idea and three replied positively. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I felt the need to spend an entire day with each one.
Buzz: So you did this with each of them?
Vincent: Two agreed to this, I’m still photographing the third man, but the style is more portraiture. My idea is not to judge. It is just that I am here, I’m close and I want to see how they live. Of course, it is not the photos that will change anything, but the people who look at them.
Buzz: What are you shooting it with?
Vincent: For that I’m using a Nikon FM2 with a 50mm lens and black and white film. I just wanted to keep a low profile.
Buzz: What inspires you?
Vincent: I’ve always been attracted to the arts visually. My mother was a painter and my father practiced arts. I also had a chance to meet some photographers who conveyed their enthusiasm to me. One was a man, now in his 60s, using large format and digital. This man talked of knowing what you want to create before you pull the trigger. You take a picture and you create. I just like the idea of doing something that will carry on. There is no time limit.
Buzz: Do you have a format preference?
Vincent: Jean Dieuzaide said, “La couleur impose, le noir et blanc propose.”
Buzz: Uh, and for the French impaired?
Vincent: “Color photography imposes, black and white proposes.”
Buzz: Perfect.
Vincent Assante Di Cupillo is living and working in Shenzhen and is always ready to take on a challenging assignment.
Homepage (with contact)
24 hours of the life of Li Jun
24 hours of the life of Ma Xiongye
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