Interview: Model Anna Utopia Giordano (Italy)

Can you tell us a little about you?

Some very basic information: my name is Anna Utopia Giordano and I am an Italian artist, poetess and performer. Alongside my collaborations as a model and actress in photographic and video fields, I have developed some visual art projects related to social awareness, for example POPbottles, Venus and Born To Be Virtual. I like to observe and study the real world and above all I like to create and assemble worlds with words, the literary genre I prefer to do this is poetry and sometimes you can find me on a stage for performances related to poetic-theatrical experimentation. Currently I also collaborate as Art Director with Xingu, an agency 100% focused on Amazon.

If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?

Perhaps, it would be good if I had a pinch of "cazzimma", which I definitely don't have. “Cazzimma” is a Neapolitan dialectal expression that indicates a mixture of attitudes, the meaning is often negative but it depends on the context. Here, I am referring to the opportunistic cunning that makes you achieve your goals without too much care for those of others. I am an honest and not overwhelming person, I always try to help others if I can: in a rather aggressive working world sometimes this attitude is perceived as a limit. Despite everything, this is my way of being. I would rather miss a job opportunity than be intellectually dishonest.

How did you start modeling?

Several years ago, I was looking for photographers for an exhibition based on my poems, almost everyone replied me the same thing "your poems are too cryptic and I don't understand them, but you have an interesting face. Would you like to pose for some photographs?". I refused the first proposals, until I decided to try. Among the very first photographic sets, the one I remember most fondly is the shooting session with the photographer Gino Quattrocchi. I take this opportunity to thank for the support Roberto Brancati and the Sartoria Teatrale Brancato in Milan of which I have worn many handmade historical theatrical costumes.

What do you think of the work as a model?

The work as a model is not my only occupation and I am freelance, this is good for me as I can select the collaborations and be involved, if possible, in the pre-production phase. I find stimulating to follow the concept and production of the project. For example, I recently worked with the Italian video-maker Francesco Di Biase for a spot for an Amazfit smartwatch, I had been chosen as an actress, but I also took care of my styling. Sometimes I also conceive and promote some photographic sets, for example the editorial done in Edenlandia - the first amusement park born in Europe and located in Naples - or at the Fontanelle Cemetery (Naples).

What is your beauty regimen?

I don't have a particular beauty regimen. I eat rather little and I prefer not to eat meat. My skin is very light and pale as I don't like sunbathing at all; I sometimes use a simple organic and vegan face moisturizer. I don't have a car license, so I walk a lot and this definitely helps me keep in shape.

What are your plans for the future?

After a long period of creative stand-by, I started to pose and act again. Life has been difficult in recent years and I have had to slow down the creative activities that required more effort. In the future, I would like to work on more acting projects and performances. Besides some photographic series already planned, I am currently working a lot on a personal musical

project that involves my poems, it is certainly the creative project on which I am conveying most of my energy. A preview will be released in the coming months. What can I say, stay tuned!

What are some of your favorite experiences so far?

Well, maybe the ones I'm going to describe are not among the most idyllic experiences but they are certainly among the ones I will remember forever: once I posed in Milan for a conceptual photo shoot in the snow, I was dressed only with very light tulle and I had a teddy bear as co-model. Another time I was posing in a wood with Charo Galura, an Italian model and singer, for the photographer Senia Ferrante and, I don't know how it happened, a sort of typhoon hit right on us. You can't imagine the rush to find shelter!

I also have fond memories of the most improvised sets: sometimes I am contacted for photo sessions planned the day after the call, you don't have time to study the mood, you arrive on the set and you have no idea what awaits you. These improvised and unexpected photographic set - the Easter Egg-projects - are the ones that remain most impressed in my memory.

Do you have any advice for those who want to start modeling?

The same advice that I would give to anyone in any area: set a goal and work hard to achieve it, trying to be as aware of yourself as possible.

What do you think of the magazine?

I didn't know this magazine and I think it is positive that it offers space to both emerging and established creatives. Thank you for contacting me for this interview.

www.annautopiagiordano.it - Instagram: @utopiagiordano

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