Art

We spoke with Vittorio Graziano, artistic director of the “Mediterraneum Collection”, about an innovative idea the cultural association “Mediterraneum” just had: they created an exhibition guiding visitors through the discovery of contemporary photography, thanks to the donations of many Italian and foreign artists.

The conference is entitled “Author Photography in Sicily”and was held on 8 and 9 November at the Department of Humanities of the University of Catania. As Vittorio Graziano explained, «It is a way to introduce ourselves to the city». In these days they presented Spectrum, photographic culture bookzine, where Enzo Gabriele Leanza explored the various aspects of local and international photographic culture, and the book One day waltz by Franco Carlisi, dedicated to the theme of marriage, from which the author started his photographic journey. The conference was followed by the inauguration of exhibition, that will be firstly in the rooms of the former Convent of Carmine in Modica, from 11 November to 2 December, and then in Catania, at the Gallery of Modern Art at the former Convent of St. Clare, from 7 December to 6 January.

Gente dell’Emilia – Nino Migliori, 1957 (People of Emilia – Ph. Nino Migliori, 1957)

THE EXHIBITION. «The idea of ​​the exhibition – said Vittorio Graziano – came up to our minds a few years ago, with the aim of creating a museum space dedicated to contemporary photography». An opportunity to promote Sicilian photographic heritage (and not only that), which perhaps will spread further in the world. The common feature of the 55 photos that will be exhibited is that they are all donations of great artists and young promises, such as Ferdinando Scianna, Mario Cresci, Giuseppe Leone, Giovanni Chiaramonte, Frank Horvart, Pep Escoda, Fang Tong, to name a few. Vittorio Graziano also told us: «We have also created a catalog where the works are divided into 4 categories: photos of the great masters, reportages, portraits of people and creative shots, conceptual photos». Italian works are joined by one coming from all over the world, such as Brazil, United States, France, Spain, China and Japan. Among Sicilian artists we find Tony Gentile, with a photo of the funeral of the judge Livatino in 1992, and the young photograph Claudio Majorana.

Pasqua a Tricarico, Piergiorgio Branzi, 1955 (Easter in Tricarico, Ph. Piergiorgio Branzi, 1955)

KNOWING AND COMMUNICATING. «Taking photographs is a way to communicate, is a message involving the producer, the subject and the observer. When someone writes, you know the author and the author gets to know himself at the same time: this is what happens when you take a picture too», were the words of Vittorio Graziano. Thanks to a rediscovered passion, this festival and the “Mediterraneum Collection” exhibition can become a way to understand what photography is, to dialogue with the artists and with their point of view on reality: in a word, a way to communicate.

 

Translated into English by Eva Luna Mascolino