The discovery of graphic tablet and post-production's endless possibilities was a turning point for Gastel. Under his hands it became magic. Finally he could shape his dreams and transform “pure” photographs into mysterious images like his visions. It was time for art: museums opened their doors to him. His books, about poetry, autobiography, photography, philosophy, followed one another. All creative experiences attracted him. We have shared many of these. 

Gastel continued to take beautiful photos more and more requested by fashion greats. Flavio Lucchini, who remained a friend even after he left publishing, had already shifted to art for a while.
The Triennale dedicated, in 1997, a large exhibition to Gastel curated by Germano Celant. The subject were photos taken for publishing or the guest which, however beautiful and artistic they were, were created for "commercial" purpose.
In the newly created Superstudio gallery, MyOwnGallery, I was looking for new languages and art contaminations. I talked about it to Giovanni. As always intrigued. I pushed him to try a purely artistic speech, detached from the client.
 The occasion would be "Parallel Visions" exhibition where the bas-relief portraits series by Flavio were compared to many faces by Giovanni. I imagined his beautiful models sophisticated faces. Instead I got "La fine dell'innocenza", nine canvases printed with an Oriental's shocking face whose face transfigured from early youth to death and almost to decomposition. Powerful images. A punch to the gut.
For his first time face to face with pure artistic research, Gastel had gone digging into the deeper sphere. They were raw images but they remained elegant, like everything he did.
The 1930s jewelry collection of my daughter Gaia, a dancer, was turned under his lens into a splendid gift for the Superstudio Dance Point she directed. A collection of amazing animated jewelry images recreating theatrical scenes.
I could go on and on.
I remember some books we made together. The first "Gastel per Donna", 1990, a collection of his most beautiful photos taken in the 80s for the magazine I directed.
I edited the “Cooking Couture” book in 2013, enhancing the creative and cultural exchange between fashion and food, among eleven fashion designers and chef Matias Perdomo and Giovanni brought his creativity.
In "Inspiration", for Oroblu anniversary, 2017, contaminations and visual experimentation between art, photography and intimate fashion, integrating subjects, enter into a unique dialogue between Gastel and once again Lucchini.
Because everything intrigued Giovanni, the powerful's faces and those of friends who went to the studio to greet him and whom he stared in a shot with ease that then he gave them, already framed.
He was unable to cook, but he responded to my invitation to prepare show-cooking live together for Social Kitchen website. I invented a simple composition, “Rice and Rose”, black Venere rice and other pinkish ingredients such as salmon, shrimp, pink berries. Plating was the beauty: my geometric composition was nothing compared to his ironic "Arcimboldo" with a funny face created by ingredients.
In 2018 we took another giant step. For Flavio Lucchini's ninetieth anniversary, I conceived “La Moda In Altro Modo” film which told his extraordinary career in fashion with the thread of Oliviero Toscani and Giovanni Gastel. Giovanni also took care of the direction, graphics and photography.
The last exchange was for the very recent Design Super Show book for which he granted me portraits of the great architects he had created for Elle Decor and for "The People I Like" exhibition at Maxxi Museum in Rome, November 2020.
We were just talking to bring these portraits also to Milan, for the opening of Superstudio Maxi in April as part of a design exhibition. Instead...
These are some small episodes I experienced firsthand, limited moments in a blazing career. They measure man's greatness, talent, generosity. The world of photography, art and culture mourns him. But it will not be able to forget him.

At this link “La Moda In Altro Modo” the movie.