The Horned Guardians 角衛 角ある守護者たち

Amid the elegance and theatrical splendour of the Venice Carnevale, not every masked figure emerges from a world of romance and beauty. Some seem to have stepped from the darker corners of Venetian mythology.

The Horned Guardians of Carnevale presents two imposing figures standing together like sentinels at the entrance to a mysterious, forbidden realm. Their extraordinary sculpted masks—one burnished in antique gold, the other cold silver—twist upward into elaborate horns, transforming the human faces beneath into something ancient, powerful and slightly unsettling.

There is an intriguing duality between the pair. Gold and silver. Warmth and cold. Light and shadow. Their richly textured black garments unite them, while subtle differences in costume give each his own presence. The golden figure carries an elaborate staff adorned with tassels and jeweled details, suggesting ceremony and authority. Beside him, the silver figure rests upon a slender cane, his dark robes interrupted by delicate silver embroidery that catches the light almost like frost.

I wanted the portrait to retain a sense of stillness and solemnity. Against the almost featureless darkness, there is little to distract from the craftsmanship of the masks, the lace, brocade, metallic surfaces and carefully chosen accessories. The restrained palette gives the image the atmosphere of an old master portrait, while the fantastical masks remind us that this could only belong to the strange and wonderful world of Venetian Carnevale.

What fascinates me most about Carnevale is the way a mask can completely rewrite a person’s presence. Behind these elaborate creations are two people, yet for the brief moment captured in the photograph, their everyday identities disappear. They become characters without names, histories without explanations—perhaps nobles, demons, guardians or creatures from an imagined Venetian legend.

The Horned Guardians of Carnevale is ultimately a portrait of that transformation: the moment when costume ceases to be something merely worn and begins to create a world of its own.

My Italian friends Arnaldo and Daniel are a real life couple. We have been friends for many years now. They are veteran costumers and true kings at the Venice Carnevale.

And 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....