French photographer Edouard de Pazzi presents a sombre  view of the world, through photos that transcend specific time or location and deliver a raw and organic aesthetic. Courtesy of the Arthus Gallery, three of Edouard’s works are presented in A#8, each displaying a different facet of his extensive portfolio, which crosses still life, experimental, abstract, architectural, documentary and portraiture photography. As a student of both history and various religions, Edouard’s subject matter and style reflects a knowledge and appreciation of Classical references and symbols.

Encre, pictured above, is a stark representation of a swirl of ink in water, creating a delicate spiraling shape reminiscent of smoke.

‘Eros & Thanatos I‘ from De Pazzi’s Memento Mori book pictures a contrasting pair of carved walking canes, the first against a dark backdrop depicting the female genitalia, being the sexual eros, and the right side image depicting a human skull, being the mortality of thanatos. The two ancient Greek concepts are often referred to in tandem, with eros as a positive, unifying drive of humanity, and thanatos being its destructive, deathly opposite.

The final image, entitled ‘Procession‘, shows a group of robed and veiled women in Canossa, Italy, the castle town where Emperor Henry IV famously trekked in the snow for three days to reverse Pope Gregory VIII’s excommunication in the 11th century. The women clasp their veils gracefully to their necks, walking arm in arm in a procession to the castle, and although taken in 2003, the image contains no evidence or anachronism to suggest that it was not taken at this time.

Each of De Pazzi’s images offer a different yet equally appropriate and alluring idea to Riccardo Tisci’s A#8 – striking comparison to Riccardo’s own history, his religious and cultural experiences growing up in Italy, and imagery that echoes his aesthetic.