The third edition of the Yeast International Photo Festival is an opportunity to see, reflect and enjoy photography, food, and the images that tell stories about production and awareness that link food consumption to environmental and social sustainability. Indeed, the claim of the festival, which takes place in Salento, between Matino and Lecce, is “From Planet to Plate”. The focus is on the visual arts as an essential tool for rethinking the relationship between man and the environment.
According to Edda Fahrenhorst, the festival’s artistic director, “there are questions that may seem obvious for an essential, everyday activity like eating. What did you eat today? Where did the ingredients come from? Are they fresh or processed? These are questions that invite us to reflect on our food, its provenance and sustainability”.
There are trends, for instance, that do not take into account that the production of some foods requires a lot of water, which leads to overexploitation of water resources, or the use of pesticides, or that some crops, such as avocados, have been infiltrated by histories of organised crime.
But food is also culture. Through its history, we can trace the history of humanity as it has declined over time and place. It is also a sign of a techno-social system, which in turn has an impact on the climate and the economy. Yeast also presents education days on topics ranging from the circular economy to Transition 5.0, sustainability in business, labour exploitation and supply chain screening (environmental, social and governance factors).
To understand more, one can look at the images of the fifteen photographic projects on show here, in Salento, among the white houses and ancient underground oil mills of Matino and the Baroque of Lecce. Yeast (just like leaven, true cultural ferment) aims to encourage cultural fermentation and offers a plurality of viewpoints: hence the presence of experts in photography, food, sustainable development, musicians.
Production systems, supply chains, consumption and habits that complicate the relationship between man and the environment are the focus of the photographers’ attention. Many exhibitions are making their debut in Italy.
Let’s start with the exhibitions at the Palazzo Marchesale Del Tufo in Matino. If health is at the heart of Pablo Ernesto Piovano’s project The Human Cost, a reportage on the impact of agrochemicals on human health carried out in Argentina, Food for Thoughts, by the photographer and filmmaker Kadir van Lohuizen, follows the processes of food production and distribution in Kenya, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, China and the Netherlands (his home country), examining the impact on the environment, public health and the economy. Holy Cow by Carolina Arantes deals with the production of the meat that ends up on our plates, a very impactful industry responding to a strong demand for the product.
Same location for Florian W. Müller, with CŪ, in which various organs of an animal are artistically placed on a pedestal. The project was made exclusively for the Yeast International Photo Festival. FEAST NO MORE Food Hypertrophy in Vernacular Photography Collection by Jean-Marie Donat presents a selection of images made especially for the festival: shots of amused hens and smiling cows from advertising posters (expressing the narrative of consumerist happiness, but on a closer reading, also a critique of the food industry).
Axel Javier Sulzbacher with Green Shades, witnesses the pressures of extensive avocado cultivation in Central America, with the destruction of forests and the infiltration of drug cartels. Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni follow the theme of tropical fruit cultivations, which are expanding in Sicily (a consequence of climate change). Tropicalia is on at Masseria Le Stanzie in Supersano (Lecce).
At the Ex Nau butcher’s shop in Matino, Mijn Duifje (my whereabouts / my lovely) A pact between a man and a bakery by Nynke Brandsma talks about safety, food, research and a person’s love for a bird. Henrike Stahl with L’Arc Sera Parmi Les Nuages (at the Frantoio ipogeo, Matino), against the backdrop of the impact of the climate crisis on vineyards and inspired by natural production methods, immerses prints in wine or in the waters of the Garonne, then places them in a wine bottle to be stored in the cellar: a message for posterity. Also in Matino, but outdoors, is Don’t Play with Food (a project commissioned by the festival) by Alessia Rollo, while Welcome to Yesterday, by Alexander Yegorov, winner of the Irinox Save the Food Award (in collaboration with Mia Fair and Irinox) focuses on the tradition of coming together to enjoy food.
Waha (Oasis) by Seif Kousmate, at the Chiostro dell’Antico Seminario in Lecce, is a four-year work that deepens the knowledge of life around oases. Also in Lecce, at Palazzo Scarciglia, on show for the first time in Europe, Merci Pour Ton Agréable Visite, Les Jolies Fleurs Et Les Délicieuses Fraises by Sarah Boutin, with a poetic-documentary approach, tells of the experiences in a convent in Quebec.
Finally, in Recale (Lecce), The Forest Knows recounts stories about indigenous resistance to the devastation of the ecosystem: Nicolò Lanfranchi narrates about the Asháninka people of the village of Apiwtxa in Acre (Brazil). Here, millions of trees have been planted in an attempt to preserve their territory and culture. This action has enabled the village to achieve self-sufficiency, with a balance between tradition and modernity.
In Castrignano dei Greci (Lecce), Kateřina Sýsová, in Kukbuk, explores typical Czech customs and conventions, suggesting different levels of image interpretation.
Yeast Photo Festival, organised by the cultural associations Besafe and ONTHEMOVE, is directed by Flavio & Frank and Veronica Nicolardi and curated by Edda Fahrenhorst.
Paola Sammartano
Yeast Photo Festival
From September 19 to November 3, 2024
Matino, Lecce and its Province
https://www.yeastphotofestival.it/
