Paolo Serrau: Thirty Years Behind the Lens
Paolo Serrau has been quietly building a world of images for over thirty years. Based in Sardinia, Italy, his work reflects a life shaped by solitude, music, and emotion. Now 56, Paolo isn’t chasing spectacle or trends. His camera is an extension of his inner life, capturing moments that speak in silence.
“Finding Meaning in the Everyday”
When asked what inspires him, Paolo doesn’t hesitate: beauty, solitude, anguish, music, darkness. Not the kind of inspiration found in grand scenes or dramatic landscapes – but something closer. More personal.
“Everything can be photographed,” he says. “Everything can convey emotions.”
That belief runs through all his work. His photographs are quiet but charged. They don’t ask for attention – they wait for it.
“Everything can be photographed,” he says. “Everything can convey emotions.”
That belief runs through all his work. His photographs are quiet but charged. They don’t ask for attention – they wait for it.
“Photography as a Language”
Paolo doesn’t set out with a specific message. He isn’t trying to explain the world. Instead, he hopes people will see a piece of what he sees – will feel something he once felt.
“I’d like people to see the world through my eyes,” he says, “but clearly that’s impossible.”
Still, he shares what he can. His images are fragments of that vision-shaped by experience, emotion, and time.
“I’d like people to see the world through my eyes,” he says, “but clearly that’s impossible.”
Still, he shares what he can. His images are fragments of that vision-shaped by experience, emotion, and time.
“The Role of Storytelling”
Storytelling, for Paolo, is important – but not everything. It’s part of the process, not the goal. His work isn’t built on narratives in the traditional sense. It’s more about emotional presence. You don’t need to know the story behind the image to feel something real when you look at it. The story, if anything, is left for the viewer to complete.
“A Life in Frames”
Photography has been Paolo’s main form of expression since 1993. It’s how he makes sense of the world.
“They mean everything,” he says about his photographs. “They are my only form of artistic expression.”
Over the decades, his work has become a kind of personal archive – full of feeling, memory, and perspective. It’s not just about capturing moments – it’s about translating what can’t always be said out loud.
“They mean everything,” he says about his photographs. “They are my only form of artistic expression.”
Over the decades, his work has become a kind of personal archive – full of feeling, memory, and perspective. It’s not just about capturing moments – it’s about translating what can’t always be said out loud.
As he continues to photograph, Paolo reminds us that some stories are best told without words – just light, shadow, and a steady gaze..
The pictures and perspectives expressed above are those of the author(s) alone and do not represent the views of Rare Storyteller or its team.
to the world.