On October 6, 2024, part of the first Italian photography festival, presented by FIAF, ended
A unique journey to explore Italian iconographic culture from its post-war evolution to the present day, in dialogue with contemporary authors, young talents and the avant-gardes of artificial intelligence.
From June 14th to October 6th, the enchanting Casentino, in Tuscany, hosted the first edition of this unprecedented event.
The Festival took place in Bibbiena (AR), City of Photography thanks to the presence of the Italian Center for Author Photography (CIFA) and the Galleria a Cielo Aperto, a real permanent museum of open-air photography, unique in Italy.
The neighboring municipalities of Casentino, Poppi and Pratovecchio-Stia, were also involved in the context of a festival that also wanted to emphasize the exploration of the relationship between territory and photography.
The central exhibition was set up at the Italian Centre for Author Photography (CIFA)
The central exhibition of the festival, entitled "Italian Photography: maps, paths and languages", curated by Denis Curti, brings together the one hundred most significant authors from the post-war period to the present, presenting a panorama of Italian photography that stands out for its unique cultural and landscape aesthetics.
Through a complex exhibition itinerary, the exhibition aims to explore the identity themes of Italian photography, demonstrating unequivocally that Italian photography not only exists, but also has its own specificity and relevance in the global panorama. The temporal focus of the exhibition, from the post-war period to the present, offers an in-depth look at the recent history of Italian photography, highlighting the peculiarities of each author and the historical-cultural context in which they operated.
The selection of one hundred authors represents an attempt to reread the history of modern and contemporary Italian photography, offering a narrative rich in nuances and perspectives. The authors present include Gabriele Basilico, Letizia Battaglia, Carla Cerati, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Mario Giacomelli, Guido Harari, Nino Migliori, Paolo Pellegrin, Ferdinando Scianna, Oliviero Toscani, and Francesco Zizola. Each author and each image is accompanied by an accurate description, aimed at highlighting their importance and their contribution to Italian photography.
Through this exhibition, we intend to propose a journey through images that reflects our collective history, stimulating critical reflection and dialogue around the fundamental themes of Italian photography. The exhibition not only offers information, but also invites us to look at the world from different perspectives, encouraging a critical and conscious vision of the present and future of Italian photography, confirming the role of Italian authors as anticipators of the future and pertinent narrators of our collective history.
