Joseph Pisani Contemporary Artlog

Joseph Pisani Contemporary Artlog

Alone in the African Bush: The Adventure Safari that Inspired “The Smoke that Thunders”

JOSEPH PISANI | 15/02/2017
Alone in the African Bush

Alone in the African Bush is the short video I made during my African safari adventure–the inspiration for my art and photography exhibition entitled “The Smoke that Thunders”, under the patronage of the permanent mission of Zambia to the United Nations (UNO), Geneva.

The Idea for this trip was simple… Step One: Fly to Lusaka, Zambia to pick up a specially modified, 4×4 truck at the airport from a guy nicknamed “Snake”.
Step Two: Ride off into the African “Bush” with dreams of hunting “The Big 5” game with a camera while savoring my self-guided safari as the inspiration for my next series of art work…

On the road alone in the African bush with a rented a 4×4 truck, avoiding charging elephants and sleeping in a tent with lions and rhinos roaming free beside me… This video was a small sample of this adventure.

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Paradise by the Waterhole: The Backstory and Inspiration behind this Abstract Landscape Painting

JOSEPH PISANI | 13/02/2017
Photo of the waterhole that inspired the painting, "Paradise by the Waterhole"

Photo of the waterhole that inspired the painting, “Paradise by the Waterhole”

During my African adventure, waterholes were always a prime location for me to sit by and enjoy nature while watching the amazing animals of the bush interact. One of many benefits to driving and guiding myself on this trip was the freedom to go whereever I wanted and stay as long as I wanted. If I had taken a guided game drive, this would have all been decided by the guide and others in the group, and I’m sure that I would never have been able to capture the photographs I did, or discover the incredible inspiration that I found. This what inspired my abstract landscape painting, “Paradise by the Waterhole”

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“The Smoke that Thunders”: Jan – Mar 2017 at the Galerie Le Sud, Zurich

JOSEPH PISANI | 17/12/2016
The Smoke that Thunders Exhibition Catalog

“The Smoke that Thunders” An exhibition inspired by Pisani’s recent self drive and self guided adventure Safari in Africa.

“The Smoke That Thunders” is my next solo exhibition of paintings, photographs & sculpture inspired by my recent self-driven & self-guided safari adventure through the African Bush. From 26. January till 18. March 2017 at the Galerie Le Sud in Zürich. Under the patronage of the permanent mission of Zambia to the United Nations (UNO), Geneva.

The Idea for this trip was simple… Step One: Fly to Lusaka, Zambia to pick up a specially modified, 4×4 truck at the airport from a guy nicknamed “Snake”.
Step Two: Ride off into the African “Bush” with dreams of hunting “The Big 5” game with a camera while savoring my self-guided safari as the inspiration for my next series of art work…

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Art Q&A from Caracas, Venezuela: A 6th grade Art Class has questions for Artist Pisani

JOSEPH PISANI | 27/05/2015
Joseph Pisani: Guest Art Teacher. Q&A with a 6th grade art class from Caracas, Venezuela.
Joseph Pisani: Guest Art Teacher. Q&A with a 6th grade art class from Caracas, Venezuela.

Joseph Pisani: Guest Artist at an elementary school art class in Zurich, Switzerland…

Over the past few years, I’ve been invited into many classrooms as a guest art teacher and guest artist. These opportunities have always been a great experience for me and also seemed to have been lots of fun for the students. Recently, this took on a whole new direction in the form of a long distance Question & Answer (Q&A) session with the sixth grade students from Escuela Campo Alegre in Caracas, Venezuela…

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Adventure Travel Photography: Tips on What Photo Camera Gear to Bring & How to Carry it

JOSEPH PISANI | 01/01/2015
Adventure travel with professional camera gear tips
Adventure travel photography with professional camera gear tips

Exploring ruins in Cambodia: Adventure Travel Photography

I’m often asked for advice about adventure travel photography, including what camera gear to bring and the best way to carry that gear during long-term backpacking trips. My methodology for long-term travel, where space and weight are of utmost importance, is completely different than it is for short term professional photography trips, where I would usually have a full kit with me. While backpacking through exotic destinations, there are many additional things to think about.

Considering the high cost of the gear I travel with, as well as how heavy it is, my main goal is to limit what I have with me as much as possible, while still having the right gear to make great photos. Insurance against potential theft is also a must, but still, losing camera gear or even worse, losing my photos, would be detrimental, even while fully insured.

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Iron Curtain Roulette Part 2: Arrival in Transdniester, the Communist Land that doesn’t Officially Exist. Adventure Travel Series

JOSEPH PISANI | 03/11/2014
Bus and train station in Tiraspol, Trans-Dniester
Artist Adventure Travel Series: Bus and train station in Tiraspol, Transdniester

Artist Adventure Travel Series: Bus and train station in Tiraspol, Transdniester

This is part two of my “Iron Curtain Roulette” Adventure Travel Series. You can read part one here

Traveling east in a rundown minibus along a rough road in Moldova. Jay and I were the only foreigners among the twenty other passengers headed to Transdniester, a small communist strip of land that doesn’t officially exist. The border crossing comprised of a makeshift assortment of old trailers and barracks, with military personnel wearing big guns and milling around smoking cigarettes. An armed officer boarded our bus, and we quickly became the main focus of his attention. Suddenly my attempts at concealing my large camera inside my day-pack seemed like a really bad idea. We had been warned that journalists were sometimes arrested here, and I cursed myself under my breath for not taking the warnings more seriously.

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Iron Curtain Roulette Part 1: Spinning the wheel of chance through Eastern Europe

JOSEPH PISANI | 29/10/2014
Iron Curtain Roulette — The rules of this trip were easy: The entire former Soviet Block was in bounds, and every travel decision had to be spontaneously in the bus or train station, as if spinning a roulette wheel at each turn...

Iron Curtain Roulette: The rules of this trip were easy: The entire former Soviet Block was in bounds, and every travel decision had to be spontaneously made in the bus or train station, as if spinning a roulette wheel at each turn…

It’s 3 am in L’viv, Ukraine, and we were standing in a disco called Misto. The dance floor, decked in a beach theme, was covered in sand and the place was jumping. We ended up here by chance, as the rules of this trip were few. The entire former Soviet Union was within bounds, while each travel decision must be made spontaneously at the bus or train station, as if spinning a roulette wheel at each juncture. L’viv. This beautiful, UNESCO world heritage site was a stopover on the way to our goal—Transdniester, a communist sliver of a republic, sandwiched between Ukraine and Moldova. It remains unrecognized by any international organization. How could we resist a country that doesn’t officially exist? But getting there was an adventure all of its own. We arrived in L’viv on a night bus from Warsaw in Poland at 7 am and spent the day exploring. Old tractors mixed with small cars in the city center. An antique tram clacked and zigzagged around town. A closer look revealed many little “red” reminders of Ukraine’s Soviet past.

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Adventure Travel Medical Detour: From Burma to Bangkok!

JOSEPH PISANI | 08/10/2014
Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar

Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar — one of the few places we could visit before having to evacuate to a hospital in Bangkok.

For me, the only really bad thing about adventure travel is being sick or being in an accident far away from home. Over the years, in search of exotic inspiration, I’ve had my share of illnesses and accidents along the way, and in doing so, built up a slight fear of foreign hospitals. I guess that isn’t all that strange considering some of the places I’ve traveled to, and some of the downright frightening hospitals I’ve encountered along the way. With that said, nothing could have prepared me for what I just went through…

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