In November 2022, my photographic partner Iango Henzi and I were preparing a special piece on Madonna for Vanity Fair Europe. She had a world tour coming up and we wanted to do something artistic and interesting, something with meaning. Originally we considered a re-imagining of The Last Supper but with just Madonna all alone. We wanted to go further, though. For every shoot we work on, we start with a reference then research, develop and evolve. Working with Madonna, we give her references, a plan, and she will come back and say: “What about doing it this way?” It’s an exchange. We always want to examine the meaning of a picture – what emotion it evokes and what it says.
The references from paintings, including those by Botticelli, came in later. We asked Madonna and some of the other women to dye their hair for the shoot because we wanted rich red Botticelli tones. There is also a reference to La Grande Bouffe, a French movie from the 1970s. We wanted the feeling of decadence, a huge feast. Madonna is generally involved in casting decisions but here she trusted me and Iango. We were searching for people whose faces were reminiscent of paintings by old masters, but we also wanted to be very inclusive. All the people in the picture are women but we wanted every kind of woman, including transgender women.
We live in a society where there is an excess of everything. This picture gives an idea of the bacchanalia. The wine stains and messy plates felt important. Our lives are a mess – had the scene been pristine, that would not have represented life. We also used a particular lens for a distorted look and a feeling of chaos. It gives the image more reality and depth.
We chose the food very particularly, picking certain fruits and breads for their lusciousness and decadence. Madonna opened the bread and it disintegrated into powder and crumbs, but the idea of her breaking the bread is not referencing Jesus. It was more about her sharing with people. We live in a world where society can be very selfish. Photographs usually show Madonna alone, but she has been like a mother to many people. Our image was symbolic – to have this icon of pop culture sharing with the others was a moment of unity, motherhood and inclusiveness.
Body language is very important in our pictures. There’s a sense of freedom and a sensuality in the women’s movements. The connection between them was very organic and the energy was intense. Madonna seems to guide it. All the women felt it: it was almost like a theatrical performance.
Iango and I first met about 10 years ago in Paris. I used to do hairstyling for photoshoots. Iango was doing photography but he was also a dancer. When we met, we had a feeling that we wanted to create photographic pieces: to study, to train ourselves, to discuss ideas and to search for truth.
We work together as Luigi & Iango. We are partners in photography and we are married for life. It’s a union in everything. Many people think it must be difficult for a married couple to work together but that’s not our experience. We often alternate roles. Sometimes one of us has a strong idea, and the other will follow it.
We’ve done more than 300 covers for Vogue, and worked with Vanity Fair, ID, Dust, Chaos, W and other magazines. We’ve done a lot of work with very famous supermodels, actors and singers including Cate Blanchett, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Penélope Cruz, Pedro Almodóvar, Cher, Rihanna and Marina Abramović.
We love women’s bodies – there is a certain poetry to their shapes – and there are many nudes in our work. There is a beautiful image of Precious Lee, a famous Plus-Size model, in our book. When we took that nude it was very spontaneous. After we shot it, I saw tears in her eyes. She saw herself so appreciated and beautiful. The people we’ve photographed trust us completely. Our nudes are never vulgar – they’re always tasteful and soft.
I don’t want to be provocative with photography. But I do want to search and discover. I want to approach a subject with depth and meaning. To me, this kind of searching as we go through the world is about knowledge – and knowledge becomes art.
Luigi Murenu’s CV
Born: Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy
Trained: Self-taught
Influences: “Man Ray, George Platt Lynes, Irving Penn, Robert Mapplethorpe”
High point: “Our first solo exhibition, at Palazzo Reale in Milan, Italy”
Low point: “A dangerous storm destroyed the roof of our printer office and all our prints and tests were water-damaged”
Top tip: “Find your own path following the unconscious. Follow your instincts and put the same value, passion and determination into everything you do.”
• Luigi & Iango: Unveiled, edited by Thierry-Maxime Loriot with a foreword by Madonna, is published by Phaidon
