Peaceful Minds
A reflection on finding peace of mind in a chaotic, noisy world.
About Peaceful Minds
The project began from the desire to express peace and understanding in an increasingly chaotic world. Mantovani shot and developed six medium format films (Ilford HP5) with models Heeyeon and Carli, and printed the two selected pictures by hand on fibre base paper (Ilford Multigrade FB Classic Glossy).
Mantovani realised these prints by splashing, spraying and brushing the developer over the exposed paper, so that the images appear rather than simply print. This process makes every print unique, different than the others.
Committed to analogue photography as a testament to authenticity — where dust, grain, and small imperfections are the medium’s DNA — Mantovani carried on with the ethos of LCKDN20, affirming the value of truth in an oversaturated digital age.
Authenticity in the digital age
Peaceful Minds represents Mantovani’s commitment to analogue photography as a testament to authenticity in a digital world dominated by AI.
Limited editions
To ensure the editions remain truly limited, Mantovani destroyed all non-final prints.
Unique prints
Each print is essentially a unique piece, created by splashing and brushing the developer onto the exposed paper.
Grain, hair and dust are the medium’s DNA — a testament to its authenticity.
In Mantovani’s prints, imperfections such as dust and hair are left unretouched as proof that the work is analogue.
About Giacomo Mantovani
Giacomo Mantovani built his reputation in the commercial field, producing creative projects for well-established clients including Rio Tinto, Nothing, Nokia, OnePlus and Logitech.
As an independent, award-winning filmmaker, director, and photographer, Mantovani has produced acclaimed short films such as ‘Plastic Garbage – Scourge of the Seas’ and ‘Lightning’, both shot entirely on smartphones. His dedication to the medium has made him an ambassador for mobile filmmaking and photography, leading him to host a series of panels and masterclasses.
In recent years, Mantovani has dedicated himself to analogue photography, developing projects such as LCKDN20, which reflect his passion for film and its timeless authenticity. His goal is to bring these prints to the most important museum collections in the world, to protect them and pass them on to the next generations.
In September 2025, Mantovani has donated the original film negative ‘Film 0_00004’ and the single-edition print ‘LCKDN20 – National Gallery F04’ to the National Gallery. Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery, described the picture as “an image of great elegance and poignancy”, and the LCKDN20 project as “an extraordinary photographic project… both aesthetic and documentary.”
Mantovani said: “For me, it was important to treat this photograph like a one-of-one painting. The problem with photography is that, because an image can be replicated, it’s often not regarded as truly unique. By donating to the National Gallery both the only print and its original negative, my aim is to protect the work, give it greater significance, and ensure it can be passed on to future generations.”