From Michael Abatemarco’s article for Pasatiempo, The Santa Fe New Mexican:
Walking through Central Park alone at night or in the early morning might be a daunting prospect for some, but Massaia finds some measure of serenity in it. “Central Park is pretty big,” he said. “You can be in there after about 11 o’clock at night and it’s empty, for the most part, and there are areas that are really heavily wooded. Especially in the winter, it’s a really nice feeling. You’re in the middle of this chaotic city, but at the same time you’re completely isolated.” Each of Massaia’s images appear forged in solitude; none show movement or human activity, making for a subjective body of work. Elements such as bridges, tunnels, pathways, and street lamps become objects of fetish, drawing the viewer in with the sheer power of their presence. While they depict moments of quietude, his photographs also seem, in the absence of people, unnatural. “It’s a man-made park, so it’s kind of a fake environment in the middle of the city,” he said. “It was always kind of cool to me to try and capture images that are all one-shot scenes. Nothing’s added. But what was really interesting to me was to convey it almost like it was an opera set or a movie set. I wanted to make them so perfect that they did border on looking almost fake.”
Browse the series “Deep in a Dream: Central Park”
Browse all of Michael Massaia’s work at ClampArt