Photo of the Week: Salman Aldajani

In the middle of a garden in Rome, Italy, Saudi photographer and visual artist Salman Aldajani captured this particular image as part of an ongoing series documenting the marble lion sculptures scattered throughout Rome. Born out of a fascination with the figures’ constant presence throughout the city, from fountains and gardens to architectural façades, Aldajani’s series works to capture their recurrence that seems to be an almost integral part of the capital’s visual identity.

“While working on this series, I began experimenting with ways to make my photographs resemble paintings, reinterpreting the scenes rather than simply documenting them. This particular image came from that exploration,” Aldajani says.

Based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Aldajani’s practice seeks out the exploration of social change, memory and the passage of time, particularly through analog and digital photography and experimental printmaking. Focusing largely on landscapes, wildlife, everyday details and overlooked spaces, Aldajani explores the relationship between places and the memories that are often attached to them.

Where and when was this image taken?

This photograph was taken while in Rome, Italy, on June 25th of 2024.

Why did you choose this particular image?

I chose this photograph because it best represents how I see and approach photography. I have always felt drawn to images that sit somewhere between photography and painting, where the intention is not necessarily to reproduce reality but to reinterpret it.

I wanted this series to capture something of Rome's artistic character, almost as though the scenes were paintings already belonging to the city. I find myself drawn to compositions where colour, light, and atmosphere transform an ordinary scene into something that feels suspended in time.