Solaris-A
Solaris-A is the culmination of Laurent’s Castellani’s trademark minimalist style of extreme close-up work, infused with Castellani’s deep-seated enthusiasm for science fiction cinema. The title pays explicit homage to the sun and captures the relationship of sunlight with space, blurring the boundaries between reality and the fantastical, often to the point of abstraction. This theme of proximity resonates with Castellani’s agoraphobia. His characteristic macro photography is in some way a documentation of his own struggle with space and distance. The images are beautiful; yet at the same time, he captures the pain and suffering implicit in his own journeys into the sunlit world.
Solaris-A is a minimalist macro photography art book by Laurent Castellani, capturing light in its most abstract and intimate forms. This striking collection of extreme close-up images explores the shifting relationship between sunlight, space, and perception — inviting viewers into a world where light dissolves boundaries and reveals emotional depth. Each image is a study in proximity and distortion, reflecting Castellani’s personal journey with agoraphobia. Through the language of light, Solaris-A becomes a visual meditation on space, fear, and beauty. It transforms radiant fragments of the everyday into poetic reflections of the internal world.
Being agoraphobic means being constantly confronted with yourself. It's defending an ordinary life. To be agoraphobic is to observe an inner duel where the unconscious always comes out the winner. To go out is to suffer. Laurent built up on this and managed to transform his suffering into a strength. Provoking motionless journeys, experiencing the creation of macro-portrait. The photographer plays with distances and space. His "Mulholland Drive" series, included in the book, was born one summer night under the Cheviré bridge in Nantes. These pictures are bewitching, timeless, almost frightening, caught in the darkness of an urban setting.
Photographer: Laurent Castellani
Laurent is a French photographer and creative director celebrated for his minimalist yet intensely focused work.
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