The Genie 神燈與精靈

Amidst the labyrinthine calli and across the mist-kissed bridges of Venice during its legendary Carnevale, "The Genie" emerges not just as a costume, but as an ethereal embodiment of the city's ancient magic and masked allure. This captivating figure, often adorned in flowing silks of gold, his face a canvas of intricate masquerade – perhaps a gilded half-mask hinting at Arabian nights or a full-face porcelain visage bearing serene, knowing eyes – glides through the throngs, a whisper of exoticism in a city steeped in European grandeur. He moves with an otherworldly grace, his presence a silent invitation to wonder, prompting hushed questions of wishes and forgotten lore. In the flickering gaslight of St. Mark's Square or the shadowed archways beside a Venetian canal, "The Genie" becomes a living dream, a symbol of the Carnevale's power to transport its participants to realms of fantasy, where every masked glance holds a secret and every passing shadow might just grant an unspoken desire.

The true magic of the Genie and his lamp lies in the profound paradox of their relationship: a being of limitless, ancient energy confined entirely within a small, often tarnished vessel. The lamp itself is not merely a piece of brass, but a meticulously woven magical prison, its surface holding the lingering essence of thousands of years of servitude. When friction summons the Genie —usually in a spectacular burst of colored smoke and thunder—the immense power of the cosmos is placed dangerously within reach of a mere mortal. The Genie, a creature capable of sculpting constellations or reversing time, is thus reduced to an unwilling slave, compelled to grant the master's three wishes. This enduring mythology captures the intoxicating terror of absolute power constrained by rigid rules, illustrating how the deepest human desires—though seemingly fulfilled by magic—always carry the heavy weight of unpredictable consequences and the dangerous knowledge that ultimate freedom remains impossible for both the wisher and the bound spirit.

My Italian friend Giorgio Cauchi is the man behind the Genie costume. He comes to the Venice Carnevale every year in the same costume, except the colors of the costume changes every year...

As usual, the portraits are just done on the busy streets of Venice and using natural lighting only...It is not an indoor photo studio, there is no artificial lighting, flash or reflectors...With my costumed friends, we just take our street portraiture to an all new level....