The idea of the city is ancient (more than five millennia old). Photography is much younger. But as is natural, today’s reality is rooted in antiquity and it is therefore interesting to see how the urban fabric is at the centre of the images which explore contemporaneity, presented at the Trieste Photo Days – International Photography Festival.
Until November 3, the city welcomes international guests, exhibitions, initiatives and photographic events (in-depth talks, workshops, masterclasses, awards, editorial initiatives). The festival is also an opportunity to meet photographers, an experience that leads to in-depth reflections, in workshops, at exhibition openings and even over dinner.
Historically a crossroads of cultures, Trieste offers two weekends dedicated to photography. The first (24-27 October), is an “international weekend”, with meetings and workshops with international guests, such as Harry Gruyaert (Magnum Photos), who has revolutionised the use of colour in the creative and experimental field, 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”, the Lectio Magistralis Stories, Lies, and Photography by Denis Curti, a talk on Photography as a Project with Massimo Siragusa and a discussion on Photography in Cinema are planned. Special guests include Andrea Rossato, Matteo Trevisan and Lorenzo Zoppolato.
Among the events of Trieste Photo Days 2024 are the URBAN Photo Awards Ceremony, in its 15th edition, the Patricia D. Richards Legacy Award for Under-35 photographers, and the Civic Museums Award; the Best Author Trieste Photo Days Award, the 2024 Project Selection Award for an exhibition in 2025, and awards for original projects are also on the programme. A new feature of this year’s 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 La coscienza di Zeno was created and where James Joyce wrote many of his works. And where the Trieste Photo Days highlights this characteristic of crossroads of cultures, presenting a wide range of styles, perspectives and aesthetics, that contribute to broadening the patterns of visual perception.
Two thousand photographs on display: certainly not a small number, but more than that, they are images of value in terms of aesthetics, content, creativity and innovation. For details about the exhibitions, we refer you to the event’s website (https://www.triestephotodays.com/en/ ), which allows you to delve deeper and to decide, as the event is spread throughout the city, modular itineraries calibrated to your own interests and almost infinitely combinable, a sort of transposition to the photographic world of combinatory literature. That expressed, for example, by Italo Calvino in his novel Le città invisibili (The Invisible Cities, just to stay with an urban theme). Just as the order of the text is not predetermined, the sequence of the exhibitions can be varied and recomposed by the visitor, almost like a combinatorial game with paths. A very serious game, however, because the contents are profound.
Among the exhibitions, are Istanbul by Manca Juvan, Acquaintance by Max Cavallari, Young Cuba by Ekaterina Frolova (winner of The Patricia D. Richards Legacy Award), A Journey of the Fish by Martin Miklas.
Then there are the shows URBAN Photo Awards XV edition winners, Play! Let the Game Begin (an international project dedicated to sports, featuring guest Adam Pretty), Collectible Shots (focused on creative photography, featuring works by British artist Paul Gadd) and URBAN reveals the city and its secrets.
At 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 narrates factory towns from the 20th century to the present day, while Sguardi diVini is a journey through the world of wine.
In addition, each of the festival’s prize-winners will be the recipient of a unique work of art by the Friulian artist Giorgio Celiberti.
Last to mention: the Trieste Photo Fringe, the “distributed festival” of the Trieste Photo Days, with parallel 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 dotART Cultural Association and Exhibit Around APS – Associazione di Promozione Sociale, with general coordination by Stefano Ambroset, founder of Trieste Photo Days. L’Oeil de la Photographie is Media Partner of the festival.
Paola Sammartano
Trieste Photo Days 11th Edition
From October 24 to November 10, 2024
34100 Trieste
Italy
