Mercredi 11 Mai 2016 12:26:01 par Nour Alahiane-lechevalier dans Festivals

The 11th edition of the http://www.fotografiaeuropea.it/fe2016/en/" international festival of photography promises to be one of the biggest and best yet, with a program of exhibitions, conferences, performances, educational initiatives, and other events taking place throughout the Municipality of Reggio Emilia in Northern Italy from May 6 through July 10, 2016.

The theme of Fotografia Europea 2016, “The Via Emilia. Roads, Journeys, Borders,” is focused on the topic of roads, starting from what the curators of the festival describe as “the major Roman road that runs ‘from the river to the sea’” and extending to “the byways of the world, the places of transit, and borders in today’s society.”

© Walker Evans Street in Bethlehem, Penn. Data: 1935 Data stampa: 1972 CSAC, Università di Parma, Sezione Fotografia

© Walker Evans Archive, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
 

“Via Emilia. Roads, Journeys, Borders” takes its title from, and celebrates the 30th anniversary of, the 1986 exhibition “Explorations along the Via Emilia” – a collective project staged by Italian photographer Luigi Ghirri with a group of photographers and writers, consisting of images and words relating to the landscape.

“’Via Emilia. Roads, Journeys, Borders’ does not intend solely to update the images of 30 years ago,” the curators explain,” but especially to underscore how both the world and the ways of representing it have changed during the last three decades…” “The ‘roads’ are thus simultaneously those of photography, its borders, frontiers, and transit points,” they add.

“Explorations along the Via Emilia” will be revisited in an exhibition at the Chiostri di San Pietro, featuring works from the 1986 project by artists including Olivo Barbieri, Gabriele Basilico, Vincenzo Castella, Giovanni Chiaramonte, Vittore Fossati, Luigi Ghirri, Guido Guidi, Mimmo Jodice, Klaus Kinold, Claude Nori, Cuchi White, Manfred Willman, and the video by Nino Criscenti.

The Chiostri di San Pietro, one of the main hubs of the festival, will also host a number of other projects, including “new explorations” of the Via Emilia by seven contemporary artists, a showcase of work by 24 photographers from the Magnum agency, and an exhibition of photography books curated by Ilaria Campioli around the theme of “territory.”

This year’s festival also pays homage to American photographer Walker Evans with two exhibitions at Palazzo Magnani. “Walker Evans. Anonymous” explores Evans’s photo-editing work for American magazines and “Walker Evans. Italia” showcases 50 of Evans’ most famous photographs from public and private Italian collections alongside works from “Explorations along the Via Emilia” (1986).

Other highlights of the festival include Paolo Gioli’s exhibition “Nature attraverso” and a solo exhibition of work by Fabio Boni at Palazzo dei Musei, an exhibition of emerging photographers under 35 at the Palazzo Casotti, Claudia Losi’s project “How do I imagine to being there?” at the Maramotti Collection, and “Explorations of the Archive: The Via Emilia, photographs of the Via Emilia” at CSAC.

Paesaggio, 1985

© Guido Guidi Courtesy Biblioteca Panizzi’

Fotografia Europea 2016 will be complemented by the Circuito Off program. Independently organized and managed by galleries, associations, public, and private entities, the Circuito Off program includes more than 300 exhibitions and events taking place throughout the local and provincial territory for the duration of the festival.

Fotografia Europea is promoted and organized by the Municipality of Reggio Emilia in conjunction with the Emilia-Romagna Region, in collaboration with the Fondazione Palazzo Magnani, the Fondazione Pietro Manodori, the Chamber of Commerce of Reggio Emilia, and the APT Tourism Service of the Emilia-Romagna Region.

To see the full program visit the Fotografia Europea website http://www.fotografiaeuropea.it/fe2016/en/"