This November, photography collective Heist is hosting its second exhibition of fine art photography. Appropriately titled The Road to Elysium, the show will feature artists from around the world, with pieces that encompass the idea of utopia and tackle social and political issues. Among these you will also find AES+F, a Russian based photo-conceptualist group who play with visual aesthetics so heavily that people have coined the term “animated sculptures” in relation to their work. Through photography, video art, animation and other theatrical mediums, their films take up themes based on a post-apocalyptic word, set in a distant future. The group took time to catch up with Schön! in this exclusive online interview, where they expand more on their part within the exhibition held at Heist, on their creative process and on upcoming projects.
Your group was initially formed in 1987, and afterwards Vladimir Fridkes joined in 1995. How did you find each other?
A and E are married, but have worked as separate artists and began working together only when S joined in 1987. F participated in our works as a photographer in 1995, which is when we decided to become AES+F.
How did you decide to form an art collective? What drove you towards working as a group rather than remaining individual artists?
The situation rapidly changed in the early ‘90s (during the fall of USSR and union of Europe). It became more interesting and productive for us to be together, developing a new strategy for a new situation.
Could you talk us through the way you work as a group? What is your production process?
We come up with ideas for projects together. We make a lot of clarifying drawings and sketches. At the stage of realization the project is curated and produced based on individual talents and skills. In the process of working on a project we can turn to various professionals – from IT to formatters and casters.
You are all educated and based in Moscow. Does this cultural sphere influence your work?
In general we work on the international stage. Yet the cultural sphere of Moscow with its characteristic excesses and grotesque has a particular influence on our work.
AES+F, Allegoria Sacra
What are the main themes that you usually approach when starting a project?
We like to work with the obvious, the banal. This is men and women, age, savagery and civility, poverty and wealth, servants and masters, etc.
People have coined the term “animated sculptures” in relation to your work. What techniques do you use in order to achieve that effect?
Largely this effect is created using animated photographs, not a video camera.
What would you like to experiment with in the future?
Right now we are thinking about an experiment in traditional technologies – canvas, oil, marble.
Two of you have strong roots in architecture. How did that translate into your group projects?
Besides architecture and animation in AES+F’s background, there is book design, illustration, and photography. All of this influences our projects.
Can you tell us a bit about your group exhibition at Heist? Whatcanweexpecttosee?
At the show there will be a big work called Jungle Elegy and a one-channel video from the project Allegoria Sacra.
The project is based on the painting by Giovanni Bellini with the same name, which depicts Purgatory. In our version, Purgatory is a contemporary international airport where characters from the most diverse cultures, times, and mythologies intermingle. That, and space stewardesses from Kubrik’s film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, together with various passengers like Chinese workers, cannibals with ritualistic body paint, a centaur, and Apostle Paul in the guise of a policeman with a sword in his hands.
What can we expect next from your group?
We are making a new project called Inverso Mundus – Inverted World. This is our version of a medieval etching with various plots: the poor give charity to the rich, a donkey rides on a human, a student punishes a teacher, and a pig slaughters the butcher.
Peer through model Wenli Zhao‘s defiant gaze in this Schön! editorial lensed by Edu Pomares with art direction by Alborada. Irene Caro dresses Zhao in looks by Acné Studios, Carrieri Studio, Piccola and others, with make up by Sandra Marcos.
dress. Acné Studios
shoes. Magrit
trench coat. Carrieri Studio
shoes. Tabis Vintage
trench coat. Carrieri Studio
shoes. Tabis Vintage
dress. FÚYU
shoes. Les Julliets
tights. Wolford
rings. ME DESNUDO
shirt. Avec Amour
top. Talk Under Light
trousers. Hotel Studio
shoes. Piccola
shirt. Avec Amour
top. Talk Under Light
trousers. Hotel Studio
shoes. Piccola
earring. ME DESNUDO
top. Madrid Manso
trousers. Casablanca
jacket. LOEWE
skirt. The Curiousers
jacket. LOEWE
skirt. The Curiousers
shoes. Piccola
socks. Rus The Brand
full look. Vivienne Westwood
stockings. Calzedonia
What if you had the chance to reunite with someone you loved, someone you lost, through lucid dreams? This story lies at the heart of the movie ‘Daniela Forever’, where Nicolás navigates the depths of his grief after the loss of his girlfriend. Directed by Nacho Vigalondo, the film delves into the memories, the consciousness, and ultimately the painful process of letting go.
In a conversation with actress Beatrice Grannò, who brings the character of Daniela to life, we uncover the different layers of this emotional story. Granno, whom you may recognise from her recent appearance in the second season of ‘The White Lotus’, steps into the spotlight with Daniela Forever, marking her lead debut in a fully English-speaking role. At 32 years old, the talented Italian actress is set to make waves in the international cinema landscape.
Granno sits with Schön! and reflects on her experience filming in Madrid and Taormina, her recent fame, and opens up about her aspirations in the world of music. As she embarks on this exciting new chapter of her career, Granno’s journey is a testament to the power of dreams, both on and off the screen.
full look. Valentino
opposite
full look. Dolce & Gabbana
You’ll be appearing soon in the movie ‘Daniela Forever’, directed by Nacho Vigalondo. Tell us more about this project?
I’m personally a big fan of Nacho’s work, and I could tell from the moment I read the script that it came from an honest place. In the past, every time I did a project that came from a true place, it brought me something. That’s what I’m trying to do now with my career: make projects that are important for the people making them.
It’s very interesting the way Nacho talks about grief. He explores the theme as the person goes through a loss because he’s the victim, but also the “hangman”. As there’s a level of selfishness in not letting go of someone. You hold on to that person, but she stops being a person, and Daniela becomes almost an object. She becomes something that belongs to the person who is going through the grief.
Tell me more about her, your character, Daniela. How did you prepare for the role?
My character is not fully there; she’s a memory, almost like an emotional ghost. And when you play someone that’s not real, it’s very challenging. But that was something very exciting for me.
I think I’m really drawn to characters that are dreamy, and films that have that tone of materialism … it suits my energy. Who is she? She’s not really a person. I really enjoyed playing with the idea of creating some sort of energy; I think that Nacho didn’t want the audience to know who she really was. She is Nicolás’s imagination. It’s very brave to talk about this story like this. There’s a big scene of guilt the whole time, and that really broke my heart; you can tell she feels guilty all the time. But I guess when you lose someone, that’s how it feels.
Do you think it’s a good or bad thing that Nicholas was able to see Daniela again?
I feel like if you lose someone and you’re really heartbroken, and you’re given the power to see them again, even just in a dream… I think that’s what everybody would do. I would do it! I think that’s what Nacho wanted to portray. The fact that you don’t let someone go, you’re also not free yourself. I think the only moment you can be happy is when you accept that the person is not yours anymore. Nacho didn’t want the audience to fully understand who she was; you never really see much of her, or her past, cause that wasn’t the point. He wanted to show who she became because of her death.
full look. Emporio Armani
opposite
jumpsuit. Balestra
Let’s talk about your own memories and dreams. How did you get into acting?
It’s strange because I kind of grew up as a musician; acting came after. It’s not something that I was thinking about since I was a kid. But the thing that I always enjoyed was making shows, it could be theatre or just creating something. And I thought that acting was the right path to put everything into it. But the strongest memory I have of acting was my first leading role in Italy. It was a small film, I loved it, and I had the best experience. It’s called “Mi chiedo quando ti mancherò”, it’s from an American novel. It felt like the right time, the right choice, and I remember that I really loved that world.
Your international breakthrough came with the second season of ‘the White Lotus’ series. How was that experience?
Actually, I recently came back to Taormina, to the ‘White Lotus’ hotel as a guest. That was a very strange feeling, because whilst we were shooting, it was just us. The hotel was not open to the public, and we were staying there; it felt like our home. And I remember when I arrived at the hotel, they were like, “Let me show you your room,” and I was like, “Come on, this is my home”. It was a very strange feeling. We were in a bubble for about three months. But for me, that was such a joy to get the role. And Mia, my character, is a musician also who is dreaming of becoming someone in the film. But I never expected it to be this life-changing experience, or at least in my career…
Mia’s dream was to play the piano at the Hotel. Did you get to do that when you went back to Taormina? I saw the piano, and I was like I’m not doing that. (She laughs) It felt really strange; the piano was there, and I just kept looking at it. When I was playing the piano in the movie, I never would have thought that it would have such a big impact. Not just for the movie, but for myself.
full look. Vivienne Westwood
How did you deal with this sudden fame? Did you get recognised at the hotel?
I think in Italy I get recognised a little less, but when I was in L.A or N.Y people would always come up to me. I also changed my hair, so people are a bit confused. But when I was in Taormina, all of the guests, I mean many, went there because of the White Lotus series, so it was really funny to see people double-checking, and looking…
You were chosen with your ‘White Lotus’ co-star, Simona Tabasco, for the SKIMS campaign. How was that experience? Did you get to meet Kim Kardashian?
That was the moment that made me think that something was happening. I was in Rome, and I knew the series was out in the US, and I knew people were enjoying it, but I couldn’t get a full sense of what was going on. So when Kim K reached out, I was like: What is happening? It was fun!
We were supposed to do the campaign in L.A, but there was such a short time, so they all flew to Milan instead, and we did it there. Then, when we went to L.A for the SAG awards, and Kim reached out, and she said to meet up. So we had a coffee, it was very nice!
full look. Etro
opposite
full look. Attico
I know music is a big part of your life and something you’ve always enjoyed. Are you working on any music at the moment?
Yes! One of my biggest dreams right now is to be able to release my album. I just need to finish it. That’s definitely one of my goals right now. But you know, I don’t think I have the same ambition with music that I have with acting. For acting, I have a hunger, while with music, I love it so much, it’s something I do for myself. I’m not like “ I need to be on stage and sing.” Maybe that will happen and I’ll be very happy about it, but I don’t have the same urgency.
It’s more of an emotional thing for me. So as long as I’m able to realise my album, I’ll be happy. It’s enough, even if only two people hear it, it’s okay, it’s more personal. I love this idea of expressing myself with music. It’s something very important to me. The beauty of music is being able to say something incomprehensible, but when you do it through a song, you can say things you normally couldn’t say. That’s what music means to me: to be able to say all the things that are hard to say. You can do that through a song.
What are you most looking forward to for what’s left of 2025?
You know, sometimes this job feels like going fishing; you have to be very patient. Sometimes nothing happens, but you have to learn to stay put and ready. This idea stuck with me, I really see it like this, because there’s always something going but you have to be very patient.
As an actress, you’re always learning something, there’s always this big question: who am I? I am who I am, or am I what other people see? There was a moment when I thought that all that mattered was what other people thought, and there was another moment when I decided that all that mattered was what I think of myself. I think ‘Daniela Forever’ and ‘White Lotus’ taught me that there’s a very nice balance of both. You cannot block that; you have to project yourself, but at the same time, you have to protect yourself. It’s okay to accept what other people see in you. It’s a journey!
full look. Alberta Ferretti
shoes. Giuseppe Zanotti
stockings. Calzedonia
opposite
full look. Valentino
What do you wish for the future?
Now filming ‘Daniela Forever’ in Madrid, and with ‘White Lotus’, confronting myself with other cultures was a reminder for me that there’s so much more than I want to do. There’s so much more that I want to offer. I think it was a really life-changing thing. There’s no going back now, I need to keep going, I think this job is really about building a career in the right way. It’s not just about doing what’s happening to you, like you have to do every job… I think you have to think very carefully. ‘Daniela Forever’ was a symbol of that. That film really meant something to the director and to me. So what I want to do now is do meaningful things. And my hope is that there’ll be more!
full look. Vivienne Westwood
stockings. Calzedonia
