At the present time, Camus’ quote prompts us to think about the inner forces that guide us in our actions at every moment of life: the ability to withstand adversity, not to be overwhelmed by daily difficulties, and of course to find courage, without neglecting the ability to be resilient through making concrete choices. Translating these themes into the language of photography entails focusing on resilience, not to mention the panoply of possible reactions to a new and emerging reality. We now have an opportunity to live anew, to reconsider our choices about our role in the world. We can be courageous by honouring the importance of always striving to look at the world with our eyes open. In other words, we can find the will to go through “winter” knowing that “an invincible summer” is indeed within us.
Fotografia Europea is an international festival of contemporary photography, promoted by the Fondazione Palazzo Magnani and the Municipality of Reggio Emilia. Building on the teachings of Reggio Emilia-born photographer Luigi Ghirri (1943-1992), the festival is inspired by the way that photography can serve as a tool for thinking about our contemporary world and its complexities. Festival events take place at various locations throughout the city, public and private, formal and informal. Every year these settings host exhibitions dedicated to a specific theme chosen by the advisory committee. These exhibitions are supplemented by a full calendar of meetings, conferences, screenings, workshops, portfolio readings, and site-specific performances. The programme is further enriched by the OFF Circuit of exhibitions and events throughout the local area, staged independently by galleries, associations, public institutions and private individuals. Fotografia Europea also encompasses a permanent collection: since its very first edition in 2006, the Festival has acquired or been donated over a thousand works, which are housed today at the Biblioteca Panizzi Photo Library.
Contents
An invincible summer
Tim Clark, Walter Guadagnini
Binidittu
Nicola Lo Calzo
Speak the Wind
Hoda Afshar
Fire on World
Carmen Winant
First Trip to Bologna 1978 / Last Trip to Venice 1985
Seiichi Furuya
Benny Profane
Ken Grant
Temporarily Censored Home
Guanyu Xu
I give you my life
Chloé Jafé
The Book of Veles
Jonas Bendiksen
Talashi
Alexis Cordesse
The Lives of Women
Mary Ellen Mark
Doorway
Jitka Hanzlová
Isola
Simona Ghizzoni
Usus Fructus Abusus
Gloria Oyarzabal
Paradise
Maxime Riché
In scala diversa. Luigi Ghirri, Italia in miniatura e nuove prospettive
Luigi Ghirri
Un’autobiografia per immagini
Vasco Ascolini
Bellum
Carlo Valsecchi
A view of Peeping Tom’s La Visita / Triptych
Arianna Arcara
In Her Rooms
Maria Clara Macrì
Possibile
Giovane Fotografia Italiana #09 / Premio Luigi Ghirri
HERBARIUM. I fiori sono rimasti rosa
Alessandra Calò
Un’invincibile estate
Speciale Diciottoventicinque
Biographies