Kolga Tbilisi Photo

How long is the night è finalista al Kolga Tbilisi Award by Filippo Venturi

Il mio lavoro “How long is the night” è finalista nel concorso fotografico Kolga Tbilisi Award, sezione reportage!

The Antrona Valley (from the Latin antrum i.e. a deep, dark cave) is a territory which, for centuries, has been explored and excavated in search of gold and today boasts countless abandoned and forgotten mines.
Here lies Viganella, a town of about two hundred inhabitants which, between 11 November and 2 February, for 83 days, is not illuminated by the sun, hidden behind the natural barrier formed by the valley, thus finding itself immersed in a constant shadow that changes colours and moods.
The origins of the village in this position are lost in time, but it is assumed that it emerged around the year 1200 (the date of the oldest document that mentions the village and its community of miners and charcoal merchants), motivated by the exploitation of the local area.
The prolonged absence of the sun, as a reference but also a symbol of life and hope, provoked a visionary and poetic reaction: the installation of a large rotating mirror, on top of the mountain to the north, enabling the sun’s rays to be reflected onto the town.
For all the inhabitants, 11 November 2006 is “the day of light”, the magical moment in which the mirror, weighing 1100 kg, was inaugurated, installed uphill from the village at an altitude of 1050 metres, in the district of Scagiola, where on clear days the sun arrives and stays from 9 am to about 3 pm, giving the town square about six hours of reflected light.
This year, however, after 15 years of operation, the mirror did not work, due to problems which have yet to be cleared up, leaving the town in darkness.
Through photo archives, using portraits and landscapes, I have attempted to stratify my visual investigation into a place which, just like the photographic medium, suffers from the lack of light and, hence, the same need to make use of artificial lights. In addition to the desired and sought-after meeting with the inhabitants, in particular the creator of the Viganella mirror, Pier Franco Midali, and his wife, Paola Ghessi.

Broken Mirror finalista al PhMuseum Grant e al Kolga Tbilisi Award by Filippo Venturi

Il mio lavoro “Broken Mirror”, realizzato con l’uso di una intelligenza artificiale, è finalista al PhMuseum 2023 Photography Grant e al Kolga Tbilisi Award 2023!

Le premiazioni verranno rese note fra qualche settimana ma, intanto, è già previsto che venga esposto all’interno del Kolga Tbilisi Photo Festival, in Georgia, e proiettato nei seguenti eventi e festival “PhMuseum Days”, “Verzasca Foto” and “Jakarta International Photography Festival”.

Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award 2018 by Filippo Venturi

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Il mio ritratto della cantante Anna Calvi, per il giornale tedesco Der Spiegel, è stato selezionato dalla giuria del Kolga Award International fra gli scatti migliori del 2018!

Questa fotografia sarà esposta al Festival della Fotografia di Tbilisi, in Georgia, e sarà pubblicata nel relativo catalogo.

Il Kolga Award, giunto alla 18° edizione, è il concorso fotografico più importante e prestigioso della Georgia. Lo scopo di tale premio è connettere la fotografia internazionale, la Georgia e la fotografia locale.

Sito ufficiale: www.kolga.ge/en