Raw material as form, the kitchen as a space for expression

For years, the gaze of Massimo Gardone has accompanied the story of Abimis through images that reach far beyond the simple representation of a product. The photographs produced for the brand’s catalogues, conceived as narrative visual journeys through projects, atmospheres, and ways of experiencing the kitchen, stems from a deep exploration of raw materials, forms, and the expressive potential of everyday elements.

For this series of shots, the photographer returns to the essential purity of still life, reinterpreting certain elements of Italian culinary tradition beyond their conventional function.

“I wanted to liberate food from the layers that transform it into a recipe or culinary tradition. Before becoming a dish, vegetables and herbs express the perfection of nature; pasta, on the other hand, becomes a generator of unexpected forms”, says Massimo Gardone. “The photographic project dedicated to Abimis stems from a process of subtraction: shedding the superfluous to let what remains emerge. In the simplicity of black and white, ingredients reveal a new visual fullness: forms, material and textures emerge in all their essence.”

Pasta, garden vegetables and aromatic herbs thus set aside their immediate meaning to reveal a new visual identity. The shapes of pasta turn into miniature architecture, sprigs of rosemary evoke wind-swept trees, while leaves and botanical elements transform into organic compositions filled with rhythm and movement. Viewed from above, these fragments compose suspended landscapes, microcosms balanced between order and naturalness.

Rather than portraying the kitchen purely as an object, these images explore the relationship between raw material, nature and the gesture of cooking. The kitchen thus becomes the stage where elements take shape, where creativity meets day-to-day life and where even the humblest ingredients can reveal unexpected depth and value.

This vision seamlessly aligns with the philosophy of Abimis Abimis. Crafted in stainless steel, its kitchens bring the expertise and principles of professional catering into domestic spaces. They are designed to celebrate the culture of cooking: environments where raw materials take centre stage, from preparation to transformation, and where functionality and aesthetic research exist in harmony with everyday gestures.