Now in its eleventh edition, Ragusa Foto Festival is held from 20 July to 27 August 2023 in Ibla, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
The event, directed by Stefania Paxhia, founder and creator of the festival, and Claudio Composti, artistic director, will feature 10 monographic exhibitions, one in collaboration with Caritas Italiana, and a packed programme of appointments – portfolio readings, talks, workshops – in the presence of numerous prominent guests from the world of photography, culture and civil society from Italy and around the world.
Starting from the geographic location of the city in which it takes place, the southernmost territory of Europe in the heart of the Mediterranean, a crossroads of multiple exchanges between the cultures that overlook it, and in the midst of a historical moment that is experiencing a dramatic sinking of sociality, Ragusa Foto Festival has chosen for the 2023 edition a theme of great topicality – ‘Relations’ – finding in the thousands of nuances that it can take on the opportunity to tell the story of contemporary men and women – and their relationship with the past, the present, the body, others, the territory, reality, imagination – and the most up-to-date photography, which today no longer only plays the role of witness to stories and history, but also contributes in a decisive manner – thanks to its widespread diffusion especially in the digital world – to creating and nurturing relationships.
“Ever since its first edition, Ragusa Foto Festival has been a successful inclusive process that, thanks to photography, has opened the doors of a provincial territory to an important experience of cultural innovation. The theme of this 11th edition,” explains Stefania Paxhia, “is a welcome to the new artistic director, Claudio Composti, and also a celebration of the network of people and national and international realities that in recent years, considering the powerful communicative function of photography and its social responsibility, has allowed us to expand our small community in itinere to offer something both from the point of view of reflection and to stimulate new foci of creativity.”
“In this first year as artistic director of the Ragusa Foto Festival,” adds Claudio Composti, “I wanted to emphasise the importance of the chosen theme, ‘Relations’, by inviting several directors of international and Italian photo festivals to participate in order to underline the importance of their role both in the development of a relationship between the language of photography and the public, and in the training of younger photographers. Besides being an exhibition opportunity, photography festivals are a fundamental moment of confrontation and growth, also thanks to collateral activities such as portfolio readings.”
The beating heart of the festival will be the exhibitions, in Ibla, located between Palazzo Cosentini, the deconsecrated church of San Vincenzo Ferreri and the Antico Convento dei Cappuccini inside the Giardino Ibleo, open to the public until 27 August. In a skilful alternation of important authors, young emerging artists, Italian and international photographers and a focus on Sicilian photography in the halls of Palazzo Cosentini are the solo exhibitions of:
- Federica Belli, with “How Far Is Too Close to the Heart?” dealing with the theme of human relationships where photography expresses its role as a mediator between people;
- Ruben Brulat, with “Embrasement” invents a creative relationship with theEtna volcano by means of an installation with images with a strong visual impact;
- Alessandra Calò, winner of the 4th edition of the New Post Photography Prize of Mia Fair in Milan – partner of the festival -, presents “Herbarium. I fiori sono rimasti rosa”, a project that relates creativity with fragility in order to create new opportunities for social inclusion;
- Mari Katayama, with ‘L’armonia imperfetta’ (Imperfect Harmony), instead aesthetises her own disability through art, addressing the open relationship with her body and photography itself;
- Davide Monteleone, one of the best-known authors of contemporary Italian photography, with “Sinomocene” tackles the relationship between man and nature, investigating the effects of different forms of colonialism, globalisation and the relationships between power and individuals in today’s China;
- Lisa Sorgini in ‘Behind the Glass’ presents an account of family relationships when they were severely tested by social distancing during the lockdown.
For the Best Portfolio and Projects with Mention 2022 section:
- Andrea Camiolo, with “Per un paesaggio possibile” (For a possible landscape), winner of the Best Portfolio 2022 award, continues his analysis of the Sicilian landscape that becomes the archetype of an ideal landscape;
- Giulia Gatti, in “Corazonada”, presents a project dedicated to women living in the southern region of Mexico, the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (Oaxaca), which won a mention;
- Sara Grimaldi, through the autobiographical tale of “Ho visto Nina volare” poses a reflection on the relationship between psychological malaise and nutrition, winning a mention.
On display at the Antico Convento dei Cappuccini is Carlotta Vigo ‘s exhibition. With her project “Mare Dentro”, dedicated to the fish market and fish processing in Sicily, she testifies to the profound relationship of the Sicilian territory with its past and future, and at the same time with its traditions and sustainability. Also returning for the third edition is one of the Ragusa Foto Festival’s most cherished projects, conceived by Stefania Paxhia, to tell the story of the everyday life of the immigrant workers who live around the Caritas Italiana garrisons located throughout Italy. This year’s protagonist is the Presidium of Foggia with an experimental initiative, realised in collaboration with the diocesan Caritas of Foggia, the support of Perimetro, an international photography platform, and New Old Camera of Milan. Two professional photographers, Arianna Arcara and Alessandro Zuek Simonetti, directed the workshop, offering new skills to six young workers selected to take their shots, which will be on display in the deconsecrated church of San Vincenzo Ferreri to tell their stories, their hopes and their desire for redemption.
On the opening days – from 20 to 23 July – the protagonists are both some important names in photography, including photographers, critics, professors, directors of international festivals, collectors, art directors, curators, who will delve into the dynamics that link the different languages of photography to current events, and young talents, who will also be present as authors, but above all invited to participate in the various activities proposed by the programme:
- Portfolio readings that will allow direct confrontation between young photographers and their work and leading professionals – including curators, festival directors, photo editors. This year’s readers: Federica Chiocchetti, director of the Musée des Beaux Arts, Le Locle Switzerland; Benedetta Donato, curator and director RCA – Romano Cagnoni Award; Wilfrid Estève, photographer and lecturer, director of the photo agency Hans Lucas, Paris; Ulrich Lebeuf, MAP Festival in Toulouse; Mina Mostefa, director of Face à la mer – Rencontres de photo de Tanger (Morocco); Veronica Nicolardi, director of Cortona on the Move and Luca Santese, photographer of the Cesura Collective.
- The talk cycle will offer food for thought on the relationship between contemporary photography and collectors with Ettore Molinario, collector and art expert, Gianluigi Colin cover editor of La Lettura; moving on to the comparison between photojournalism and artistic photography with Enrico Ratto, writer and journalist, Davide Monteleone, Luca Santese and Arianna Arcara; on landscape photography with Massimo Siragusa and Sony; book presentations with Federica Belli, Ulrich Lebeuf, Francesco Zizola; closing with the award ceremonies for the winners of the Best Portfolio 2023 Prize and the finalists of the 3rd edition of Young Photographer from Italian Academies#3, YPIA call, the competition devised and produced with the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania aimed at all Italian Academies and Schools of Photography to valorise the works of their students;
- the “Territory, theatre of relationships” workshop directed by Massimo Siragusa, professor of photography at the Ied in Rome and Sony ambassador, which aims to enhance the talent and skills of the participating photographers (who will work with equipment supplied by Sony) so that each one can create a finished project. Prize: Fanzine to the best work published by Phaos Edizioni.
The 11th edition of the Ragusa Foto Festival, promoted by the Associazione APS Antiruggine, is realised under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and theFrench Embassy in Rome. The Festival is supported by a scientific committee composed of: Rosario Antoci, artist and professor of photography at the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania; Aldo Bonomi, sociologist and director of Aaster; Mirja Cartia, CEO of the Sole 24Ore Group; Alfredo Corrao, head of Cultural Heritage at the MIC; Benedetta Donato, curator and director of the RCA Romano Cagnoni Award; Donata Pizzi, photographer and collector; Nello Scavo, special correspondent of Avvenire; Velasco Vitali, artist painter and sculptor. ragusafotofestival.com
