GIANNI
GIANORSO
RAUSO

About

Bio

Born in 1961, I have spent my life in the vibrant city of Rome, Italy.

My journey into photography began in the summer of 1985, driven by a deep passion for both Classical Art and the human body in all its diverse, non-conforming forms.

As a self-taught photographer, I started experimenting with a second-hand analog camera, a few rolls of film, a photography manual, and a notebook to document my observations on exposure times and framing techniques.

For many years, I allowed myself to be guided purely by instinct and the lessons learned through trial and error.

In early spring of 2017, I decided to refine my craft by enrolling in formal photography courses at Officine Fotografiche Roma .

This experience allowed me to organize my ideas and, giving structure to my creative vision.

My portraits have been exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions across various cities, including Rome ("Of LOVERS and KINGS", "V E L A R I A", "Visioni senza filtro", "Hairy", "Cibo x Orsi-Food 4 Bears"), Milan ("Portraits of Modern Gentlemen"), Bologna ("American Beauty"), Brussels ("The BEARable Lightness of Being"), and Palermo (“Works").

My work has been featured in numerous international male photography magazines, such as My GAY EYE (Germany), NOISY RAIN (Mexico), MASCULAR (UK), FALO Magazine (Brasil) Desert Heat Magazine USA), Men Addicted (France), Beef (USA), Pride (Italy), Euro Bear (Germany), Kerle (Germany), AUT (Italy), Torazine (Italy). My portraits have been exhibited in both solo and group exhibitions across various cities, including Rome ("Of LOVERS and KINGS", "V E L A R I A", "Visioni senza filtro", "Hairy", "Cibo x Orsi-Food 4 Bears"), Milan ("Portraits of Modern Gentlemen"), Bologna ("American Beauty"), Brussels ("The BEARable Lightness of Being"), and Palermo (“Works").

Photography

Photography has given me the opportunity to merge my two lifelong passions: Art—especially Classical Art—and the human body, with its myriad shapes and expressions.

I love capturing people, exploring their facial expressions and physical allure, and trying to freeze in my images what initially drew my attention to them.

My portraits aim to delve beyond surface appearances, revealing something deeper about each subject, their individuality, and their essence.

Inspiration

My work is deeply influenced by iconic photographers such as Peter Hujar, Richard Avedon, Herb Ritts and Robert Mapplethorpe.

Their ability to capture the essence of the human experience through their portraits and nudes has inspired me to embark on this journey of portraying human lives, exploring the beauty of diversity and authenticity.

Exhibitions:

"ROMA CHILOMETRO ZERO" - progetto fotografico collettivo per Leica Camera Italia - "V E L A R I A" di Gianni "GianOrso" Rauso - presso Museo di Roma in Trastevere - Roma - Piazza S. Egidio1/B - dal 16 ottobre 2024 al 9 marzo 2025
"GRAFIE del CORPO - Pratiche della fotografia e della performance" - Live Photography/Dance improvisation a cura di Samantha Marenzi con Officine Fotografiche Roma e Ass. Cult. Le Decadi performer: Alessandra Cristiani - fotografie di : Nino Contese, Giovanni Elia, Cristina Latini, Luigi Marangio, Gianni Rauso, Stefano Scherma - presso Officine Fotografiche Roma , Roma, via Giuseppe Libetta 1 - 12, 13 e 14 gennaio 2024
"GRAFIE ITALIANE / Sei visioni fotografiche dell'Italia" - mostra collettiva presso Australian Catholic University - Roma - Largo Giovanni Berchet 4 - dal 2 dicembre 2023 al 30 maggio 2024
"Of LOVERS and KINGS - photographic fragments of memories 2009/2022" - presso Galleria Bar.lina - Roma - Viale dello Scalo di San Lorenzo 49 - dal 27 maggio al 9 luglio 2023
"V E L A R I A" - progetto fotografico per Leica Camera Italia #Romachilometrozero - presso Leica Store - Roma - Via Due Macelli 57 - dal 23 novembre 2022 al 14 gennaio 2023
"duemiladodici/duemilasedici" - mostra fotografica per il mese del PRIDE di Roma - presso Libreria Antigone - Roma - via dei Piceni 1 - dal 1 al 30 giugno 2022
"SAME AS YOU - take II" - An on line collective exhibition curated by Igor Zeiger for Beamcollective.net - Summer 2021 -
https://www.beamcollective.net/same-as-you-take-ii
"Meraki" - fanzine (collective) da "Una stanza per sè" (2021) - Un laboratorio di autoritratto curato e diretto da Simona Ghizzoni in collaborazione con SPEX - The Self Portrait Experience -
https://selfportrait-experience.com/workshop-di-simona-ghizzoni/
"PRIDE by your side" - An on line exhibition of artists from all over the world, organized by FMB Art Gallery Rome (collective) - summer 2021
https://it.fmbartgallery.com/pride-by-your-side-2021
"Curated" by Social Networks - An exhibition in protest of censorship of Human Body in Social Networks (collective) - summer 2020 - Beamcollective.net -
https://www.beamcollective.net/curated-by-social-media
"A portrait in isolation" (collective on line) - spring 2020 - Mascularstudio.com
"Falloween /show us your dick" - photos by GianOrso & Pan Eros - november 2016 - Company Club (Rome)
“Visioni senza filtro (free mind in free body)” (collective) - april 2016 - Quirinetta (Rome).
"Falloween / show me your dick" - photos by GianOrso & Pan Eros - november 2015 - Company Club (Rome).
"Hairy Uncensored" (collective) - june2015 - Company Club (Rome).
"Hairy" (collective) - June 2015 - CaffèOppio (Rome).
“American Beauty” - November 2009 – Cassero“Heavy Fat Party” (Bologna) during the “Gender Bender”festival.
“Portraits of Modern Gentlemen” - June 2009 –Loft 21 (Milan).
“The BEARable lightness of being” - May 2006 –Cinema Nova (Bruxelles) during the Pink Screen #5 AlternativeGender Film Festival.
“Cibo X Orsi – Food 4 Bears” - September 2002– Bookshop Babele (Rome).
“Works” - February/March 2002 – Bookshop AltroQuando (Palermo).