A New Friend

Domenico Matera’s ongoing series “A New Friend” delves into the profound connection between humans and horses, capturing their beauty, sensitivity, and essence. Through his lens, he explores the deep bond that forms when we engage with these majestic creatures, inviting viewers to reflect on the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. There is a beautiful, ethereal simplicity to his images, which hides a deep, philosophical perspective.

We asked Domenico to share his thoughts behind a few of the images in the series…

“I’ve been fascinated by horses since childhood. They’re incredibly sensitive and docile animals. In my region of Basilicata, with its green hills and forests, I often saw them running freely across mountaintop prairies, guided by the wind or seeking shade in the woods. This sense of freedom captivated me, and I felt compelled to observe them more closely.”

DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLE

“I had the sensation that horses could see into the soul of humans.”

Through sensory contact with this horse I perceived a pure energy: something extremely essential; that does not yearn for a matter outside of itself nor contracts inside nor exalts nor depresses but shines with the light with which it sees the truth of all things. And in these terms I believe that horses are intimately interconnected with the Universe. They can teach men to live according to nature, centered in their own directive principle that is intimately connected to the cosmos and space-time. In their love for the surrounding I glimpsed the curiosity of a child. In the contact I had I therefore felt immersed in this energy: I experienced pure feelings linked to the infinite greatness of the Universe and nature, Perceiving a revealing power: as if once centered in one’s own nature, through the knowledge of one’s own inner dèimon everything could acquire a “natural” flow. By nourishing our own dèimon we can therefore reconnect with ourselves, through the entheos (enthusiasm) with which the Greeks identified the God that is in us. I think it is extremely fascinating to think of ourselves as small, as an infinitesimal part of the Universe in which the infinitely large is paradoxically hidden in its essence, because it is the principle that generated us and to which we will return, dissolving.

In the relaxed gaze concomitant with my caresses I had the sensation that horses could see into the soul of humans. I imagine that in the people they feel they can trust, they dream of meadows where they can run freely, places where they can live, free from any judgment and full of love and beauty. In my opinion, they are able to see into the essence of things, to connect intimately to the concept of Physis (nature) and therefore to their own guiding principle, and to spread enthusiasm and hope. I think they can perceive the energy of humans and in this way reconnect with their souls.

COSMIC TIME

“At that moment I realized that aesthetics is a very broad concept and can be seen even in the less conventional and conformist details.”

The horse’s tail flutters and a cloud that takes me back to the colors of my favorite cartoons seems to be synchronized with it. The background is a bright blue sky. The energy that I feel in that moment envelops me and makes me perceive a boundless joy, they are the memories associated with this atmosphere so full of life; suddenly I start laughing like a child, at the same time this apparently simple scene starts the creative process. I start to gradually get closer to the horse and it is the tail itself that marks the seconds that pass. Time seems to have dilated, so I start to feel a sensation of extreme serenity mixed with energy and the clouds that run tenaciously in the blue background, recall the incredible strength of the horse that at that moment was absorbed in its colorful daily activities. The lively euphoria felt in those moments consciously led me to take a shot that contained the mystery and the incredible sensations that were crossing me: joy and curiosity. At that moment I realized that aesthetics is a very broad concept and can be seen even in the less conventional and conformist details. I was struck by the dark spots, antithetical to the white of the clouds and I imagined as if they crossed the horse and, in this passage, left an indelible mark. Everything seemed intimately interconnected. The concept of space-time seemed to manifest itself in such a pure way. For a moment I imagined that the colors of the cosmos can be seen in the details of nature, in which its revealing power is also manifested through shades full of vitality.

EVENT HORIZON

“Horses remind us how to live naturally and stay true to ourselves.”

The event horizon is the boundary beyond which time becomes imaginary. An observer can reach it, but not pass through it. The clouds “on the horizon” in the background and the white spots on the stallion’s brown coat reminded me of this fascinating concept. Horses remind us how to live naturally and stay true to ourselves. Observing their behavior—running in a group or effortlessly navigating their environment—is like witnessing a deeper instinct at work, a sort of inner compass or magnetoreceptor. When I was with them, I felt immersed in this energy, as if it revealed a flow that exists when we align with our true nature, and as if this magic transcends the magnitude of time and is therefore intimate with it and space. I immediately thought of the moments I spent in nature as a child. As children, in fact, we had an atmospheric perception of time, spending entire days listening to the sounds of the wind and nature, we were unconsciously disciples of it, nature was part of us and exerted a very strong flow on our lives for which we were naturally attracted to it. In this apparently simple scene I was attracted by the intensity and contrast of the colors rendered by the bright light, everything at that moment seemed aligned with the surroundings and I felt enveloped in a dreamy and mysterious energy.

NEBULA IN THE IRIS

“I am extremely fascinated by their eyes as a sort of cosmic portals, a reflection of their own nature.”

In the iris of a horse I can glimpse the nebulae of the universe and I perceive a sort of interconnection between all living beings and the cosmos. I am extremely fascinated by their eyes as a sort of cosmic portals, a reflection of their own nature. Looking into the iris of this horse I was attracted by a boundless flow of energy. I felt a sensation of extreme euphoria and joy, feeling infinitely small. The sensorial contact led me to think in terms of energy, to perceive therefore an incredible force inherent in their light. I glimpsed a concrete opportunity for introspection, of reconnection with a primordial energy, interconnected with the order of events and the universe; and that transcends any type of explanation, that goes beyond the operating procedures aimed at explaining it, beyond mathematical equations, that does not describe space and time but can only reconnect to it, perceiving it. Even men, reasoning in terms of energy, can see into the essence of the principle of things, and therefore also in horses, because they are divine creatures since in them reside the infinite possibilities of manifestation of being of nature: if we were them we would be happy even just looking at ourselves in the mirror.

WAVES OF MAGNETIC FIELDS

“Immersing myself in this world of small details I thought it was really fascinating to start re-observing everyday life in a different way, starting every day from scratch.”

In the thick mane I glimpsed delicate, synchronized waves, full of mystery, overlapping a soft and muscular coat. The energy was very strong, so I thought about the concept of a magnetic wave. I immersed myself in the observation of this detail. I had the same sensation as when you swim and look at the bottom of the ocean from above with the charm that only infinity can give. I felt infinitely small and I felt like I could swim immersed in the golden coat. I was also gripped by a feeling of extreme tenderness and gradually I began to caress the horse that continued to be scrutinized, sensing my great curiosity that was visibly increasing. Crossing these “wavy flows” I sensed a revealing power. In fact, in my opinion, the sea has the ability to free human beings from their negativity. In the ocean I think you can feel infinitely small and this inevitably leads to the demolition of the ego, in which very often the problems of humans reside. Immersing myself in this world of small details I thought it was really fascinating to start re-observing everyday life in a different way, starting every day from scratch.