2014-06-24

Questo Paese (This Country)


©2013 Giancarlo Rado. 
Diego Rizza, la moglie Anna Zurek , il figlio Tomek e Savanna ritratti 
in Malga Fossernica di Dentro , Caoria, Trentino, prima 
della chiusura dell'alpeggio estivo.

Questo Paese (This Country)

photo observations on contemporary Italy

Book project preview and exhibit at Corigliano Calabro Fotografia, 2014 June 27-29

Curator Fulvio Bortolozzo

Photographers: Antonio Armentano, Roberto Bianchi, Sandro Bini, Nino Cannizzaro, Luca Capello, Ilenio Celoria, Domenico Cipollina, Carlo Corradi, Claudia Corrent, Benedetta Falugi, Paolo Fusco, Mauro Thon Giudici, Salvatore Lembo, Andrea Lombardo, Luca Migliorini, Luca Moretti, Gaetano Paraggio, Mattia Parodi, Bruno Picca Garin, Giancarlo Rado, Mattia Sangiorgi, Tiziana Sansica, Franco Sortini, Giacomo Streliotto, Rodolfo Suppo.


It is exactly thirty years now since when Luigi Ghirri authored his cult book “Viaggio in Italia” (Italian Voyage). He included his pictures and those authored by nineteen other photographers originating what would had been later called “Scuola Italiana di Paesaggio” (The Italian landscape school).
Since then many cultural, technological, social, economic and political alterations  deeply changed Italy  into something far from the one on display in  “Viaggio in Italia”.

So, there’s a need to update the iconography of the places and of what is going on there,  rethinking the way in which the imaging process itself is carried out,  in  an attempt to find a coherent mapping among the observed reality and its representation.

The editorial project is rooted in the awareness that we (the curator and the involved photographers) are not  alone. There are several worthy ventures made by other photographers, associations, groups and institutions, either public or private,  sharing the same attempt.


“Questo Paese” (This Country)  is aimed as a contribution to the Italian photographers community and comes directly out of the social networks experience.  The project is an offspring of a Facebook group named “We Do The Rest” (WDTR) owned by the curator.

Interested in the verisimilitude with everyday’s life that the camera used as a technical instrument allows, several photographers joined the group. Each of them contributed  pictures  presenting a critical approach to the content of choice. The book is an attempt to reunite some of the most interesting proposals emerging from the group, stating the will to move past the tradition towards a renovation in the iconography of the Country. To complement this synergistic approach, bloggers and writers from the group contribute with their own critical texts.

The Corigliano Calabro exhibit will be a preview of the forthcoming book, still in the making. A sample of pictures from ten of the twentyfive photographers involved will be on display. The intention here is to give out a preview to a competent audience coming to a well established event. 

Versione Italiana, orginaria, sul blog  di Fulvio Bortolozzo (curatore)

Above and below a small sample of the exhibit

©2013 Antonio Armentano, Montebello Ionico (RC), Saline.
©2012 Nino Cannizzaro, Palermo - Messina.
©2014 Claudia Corrent, Isola di Burano (VE).
©2013 Benedetta Falugi, Follonica (GR).
©2013 Mauro Thon Giudici, Milano.
©2009 Salvatore Lembo, Roma, Testaccio.
©2012 Andrea Lombardo, Genova.
©2011 Gaetano Paraggio, Battipaglia (SA), litorale.

©2014 Giacomo Streliotto, Cartigliano (VI).