24 Seconds – Massimo Leardini LIMITED EDITION OF 120 COPIES – NUMBER 72/120 SIGNED PHOTOBOOK + ORIGINAL BARYTA PRINT ( 24 x 18 cm ) SIGNED ON THE VERSO BY MASSIMO LEARDINI ( Printed Area 22 x 16 cm ) Published in January 2025 by The Photo Book, 24 Seconds is an intimate and conceptually intriguing photographic experiment by Italian photographer Massimo Leardini. The entire series was created in just 24 seconds, on January 22, 2019, between 10:43:21 and 10:43:45. During this extraordinarily brief interval, Leardini captured the images that would eventually become a carefully considered sequence of 41 photographs. The project explores the relationship between time, perception and the photographic act. Working at approximately two frames per second, Leardini allows instinct and movement to determine the initial images, postponing the process of observation and interpretation until afterwards. What begins as a fleeting, almost automatic gesture becomes a meditation on the ability of photography to preserve, reinterpret and transform a moment that would otherwise disappear. There is a fascinating contradiction at the heart of 24 Seconds: a photographic sequence created in less than half a minute becomes an object designed to be experienced slowly. The passage of time is compressed during the act of photographing and subsequently expanded through the editing, sequencing and physical experience of the book. Accompanied by a text by Emma Aars, the publication invites the viewer to consider how much can be discovered within an apparently insignificant fragment of everyday life. Presented in a beautifully produced 48-page softcover volume with Japanese binding, 24 Seconds was published in a strictly limited edition of only 120 copies. However, the real attraction of this particular edition goes considerably beyond the book itself. THIS IS COPY NUMBER 72 OF ONLY 120 PRODUCED, AND BOTH THE PHOTOBOOK AND THE ACCOMPANYING PHOTOGRAPH ARE SIGNED BY MASSIMO LEARDINI. The true highlight of this collector's edition is the opportunity to acquire an original photographic print by the artist. Each copy includes a baryta pigment print, measuring 16 × 22 cm on 18 × 24 cm paper, individually signed and numbered by Leardini. The photograph accompanying this particular copy is signed on the verso by the photographer himself. Baryta paper, appreciated for its rich tonal depth, refined surface and exceptional rendering of black-and-white photography, gives the image a physical presence that cannot be reproduced through the pages of a book. The result is not simply a limited-edition publication but an opportunity to own an original photographic work by Massimo Leardini, together with the signed photobook from which it originates. With only 120 copies produced worldwide, 24 Seconds represents an especially appealing proposition for collectors of contemporary photography, limited-edition photobooks and original photographic prints. The combination of an experimental photographic concept, meticulous production and an individually signed baryta photograph makes this edition a particularly distinctive addition to a photography collection. ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER Massimo Leardini (born in 1959 in Cattolica, Italy) is an Italian photographer who has lived and worked in Norway since 1987. His photographic practice is deeply influenced by the Nordic landscape, its distinctive natural light and the relationship between the human body and its surrounding environment. Working predominantly in black and white, Leardini has developed a highly personal visual language characterised by intimacy, melancholy and a remarkable sensitivity to light, form and texture. His photographs frequently explore the human figure within natural settings, often through long-term collaborations with the same subjects, creating images that move between portraiture, fine art and poetic observation. Alongside his artistic practice, Leardini has worked extensively in fashion and editorial photography. His work has been exhibited internationally and published in numerous photobooks, including Scandinavian (2013), Catarsi (2015), Primitive (2016), Iselin (2018), ELV (2020) and Nordmarka (2024). With 24 Seconds (2025), Leardini turns his attention towards the nature of photographic perception itself, exploring how an almost imperceptible interval of time can become a lasting artistic experience.