T R E P I N D A N G A The mountains are only the background. Photo Exhibition by Marcello Cominetti

T R E P I N D A N G A

The mountains are only the background.

In Lunfardo-Argentine slang, "Trepindanga" is a word that means: a short section of rock to overcome along a trail. Trepindanga may also require the use of your hands to overcome this obstacle if you want to move forward. Sometimes it can scare you. If you take on an adventure you will encounter Trepindanga, because not everything is as predictable as we'd like it to be.

It's not an adventure if something doesn't go wrong and Trepindanga is simply a metaphor for the obstacles that life throws at us, even when we're not wandering along indulging our passion for the mountains (or, like me, also doing so for a profession.)

When I sat down to choose photos for this exhibition, I ended up going through almost 18,000 slides in around 2 months with the intention of selecting a series of images about mountaineering: from the Dolomites where I live, to other mountains around the world. Many doubts arose in me whilst I was reliving this journey and I thought, for a few days, that I wouldn't do any exhibition at all. I then told myself however, that I should choose shots that reminded me of something now forgotten, but which had left a mark deep in my memory.

These photos were as equally numerous but I forced myself to be stricter in my selection; reducing the number, sometimes drastically, less and less. I also told myself that the best shots were probably among those rejected but questioned, best for whom?

One evening, whilst scrolling through the photos of a famous French photographer in the silence of my house, I remarked on the words of a Spanish painter who had meticulously commented on the images. The essence is that whoever looks at a photo is like a voyeur who is part of a picture, which they themselves are inside of whilst they are looking at it, and therefore we are all inside that photo that is part of the picture.

So my choice, whether you like it or not, was decided thanks to that inspiration, and also by the way my cat gazed at me afterwards, convincing me that this was the right path to take.

Marcello Cominetti, (Genoa 1961) mountaineer, traveller and mountain guide by profession became passionate about photography tank to his paternal uncle Giuseppe who introduced to black and white and darkroom. In 1984, he left Genoa for the Dolomites, where he still lives. His home has long been the “port” from which he plans trips, treks and expedition to the mountains of the world. O fan analogue nature, he is not on any social networks (apart from his website) and devotes all his time to activities in nature, as much for work as for passion.
Also a street musician, he has written and photographed for: ALP, Rivista della Montagna, Klettern, Meridiani, Panorama Travel, Grand Gourmet, National Geographic, The Himalayan, Chaltén Hoy, Gognablog, Planetmountain, Freeride, Dove, Pareti.

THANKS

Franco Gasparini (Primoli), Fabio Zardini (Patagonia Italia), Agustina Lagos Marmol (Dolomite Mountains), Egidio Nicora(fotografo), Matteo Agreiter fotografo (editing), Marta Trucco, Beatrice Abbiati e Matthew Hitchen (revisione e traduzione testi), Isabel Cominetti (supervisione immagini), Maurizio, Gianni, Enrico e tutto lo staff di Topmarket fotovideo di Genova (digitalizzazione diapositive, stampa e coordinamento)