The idea of the city is old (more than five millennia). Photography is much younger. But, naturally, today’s reality is rooted in antiquity, and it is therefore interesting to see how the urban fabric is at the center of the images exploring contemporaneity, presented at the Trieste Photo Days – International Photography Festival .
Until November 3, the city welcomes international guests, exhibitions, initiatives and photographic events (conferences, workshops, masterclasses, award ceremonies, editorial initiatives). The festival is also an opportunity to meet photographers, an experience that leads to in-depth reflections, during workshops, openings and even dinners.
Historically a crossroads of cultures, Trieste offers two weekends dedicated to photography. The first (October 24-27), is an “international weekend”, with meetings and workshops with international guests, such as Harry Gruyaert (Magnum Photos), who revolutionized the use of color in the creative and experimental, Adam Pretty (Getty Images), known for his work in sports photography, Paul Gadd and Manca Juvan. The following weekend (November 2 and 3), an “Italian Weekend,” includes Lectio Magistralis Stories, Lies, and Photography by Denis Curti, a lecture on photography as a project with Massimo Siragusa, and a discussion on photography at the cinema. Special guests include Andrea Rossato, Matteo Trevisan and Lorenzo Zoppolato.
Among the events of Trieste Photo Days 2024 are the URBAN Photo Awards Ceremony, for its 15th edition, the Patricia D. Richards Prize for photographers under 35, and the Civic Museums Prize; the Trieste Photo Days Best Author Prize, the 2024 Project Selection Prize for an exhibition in 2025, as well as prizes for original projects are also on the program. New to this edition is the first live portfolio review dedicated to Adriano Perini, Photo Imago (November 2-3).
Trieste is the city where Italo Svevo’s novel The Conscience of Zeno was born and where James Joyce wrote several of his works. And where the Trieste Photo Days highlight this characteristic of the crossroads of cultures, presenting a wide range of styles, perspectives and aesthetics, which contribute to broadening the patterns of visual perception.
Two thousand photographs on display: this is certainly not a small number, but even more, they are images of great aesthetic value, in terms of content, creativity and innovation. For more details on the exhibitions we refer you to the event website (https://www.triestephotodays.com/en/), which allows you to delve deeper and decide, since the event is distributed throughout the city, of modular routes adapted to your own interests and almost infinitely combinable, a sort of transposition into the world of photography of combinatorial literature. That expressed, for example, by Italo Calvino in his novel Invisible Cities (to stay with an urban theme). In the same way that the order of the text is not predetermined, the sequence of exhibitions can be varied and recomposed by the visitor, almost like a combinatorial game with routes. A very serious game, however, because the contents are deep.
Exhibitions include Istanbul by Manca Juvan, Acquaintance by Max Cavallari, Young Cuba by Ekaterina Frolova (winner of the Patricia D. Richards Prize), A Journey of the Fish by Martin Miklas.
There are also the exhibitions of the winners of the XV edition of the URBAN Photo Awards, Play! Let the Game Begin (an international project dedicated to sport, with guest Adam Pretty), Collectible Shots (focused on creative photography, with works by British artist Paul Gadd) and URBAN reveals the city and its secrets.
In Porto Vecchio, Magazzino 26 will host a focus on the territory with the M26 Project. Visual Reflections in Porto Vecchio and the events of La Città Doppia, dedicated to the theme of borders on the occasion of GO! 2025 Nova Gorica-Gorizia European Capital of Culture. Obiettivo Company Town chronicles factory towns from the 20th century to the present day, while Sguardi diVini is a journey through the world of wine.
Additionally, each of the festival winners will receive a unique work of art by Friulian artist Giorgio Celiberti.
Finally: the Trieste Photo Fringe, the “decentralized festival” of the Trieste Photo Days, with side events dedicated to young photographers from all over the world, and the Photo Days TOUR, with exhibitions at Trieste airport.
The festival is organized by the dotART Cultural Association and Exhibit Around APS – Association for Social Promotion, with the general coordination of Stefano Ambroset, founder of Trieste Photo Days. The Eye of Photography is a media partner of the festival.
Paola Sammartano
Trieste Photo Days
11th edition
From October 24 to November 10, 2024
34100 Trieste, Italy
https://www.triestephotodays.com
