The fifth edition of the Voghera Fotografia - OFF National Festival, centred on the theme "Around People - People from the World", met with great success. More than 3,500 people visited the six exhibitions on display and took part in the twelve events organised during the event, which began on 18 May and ended on 2 June, with the finissage held at the "Luisa Pagano" Hall in Piazza Cesare Battisti.
There was a large participation of enthusiasts from all over northern Italy, as well as numerous school groups from local schools. The Voghera Fotografia - OFF National Photography Festival thus consolidates the prominent position it has acquired in the cultural panorama and aims, for the next edition, to further increase the acclaim it has gained. The festival was conceived, promoted and organised by the cultural association Spazio 53 A.P.S. in collaboration with the Municipality of Voghera - Assessorato alla Cultura, thanks to the partnership with Nital S.P.A. and Foto Video Academy Italia, with curatorship by Michele Dalla Palma and direction by Arnaldo Calanca.
The theme ‘Around People‘ had been chosen to emphasise ‘around people‘, offering the public a reflection on the cultural and social diversities between the most distant populations of our planet. The objective was fully achieved, thanks to the six photographic exhibitions by Michele Dalla Palma, Edoardo Miola, Silvia Della Rocca, Simone Migliaro, Davide Pianezze and Edoardo Agresti, which shifted the festival‘s boundaries towards a global and topical horizon.
The programme of the event was completed by four workshops, held by some of the artists involved in the exhibitions, and various side events (round tables, talks, video screenings and guided tours of local businesses). To all this was added, for the three weekends of the festival, the welcome presence of a handful of minute photographers: "itinerant street ‘photographers‘ who, stationed a short distance from the exhibition venues, performed, as they did a century ago, the ancient process of instant photography with analogue shots. Dozens of people posed in the sets set up along the Via Emilia, taking home as a souvenir their own portrait, developed and printed inside the same camera, in just a few minutes, by the authors.
Below are some statements made by the organisers of Voghera Fotografia - OFF to take stock of the festival that has just ended.
"For us it is a source of great satisfaction to see how the city of Voghera, the school groups, the photography clubs and the many visitors, who also came from neighbouring regions, appreciated the initiative," says Arnaldo Calanca, president of Spazio 53. "It is a recognition of the authors of the exhibitions and all those who participated in the realisation of the festival, because behind an event of this magnitude there are hundreds of hours of work and the professionalism of a staff made up of members of our association, who once again proved themselves up to the task.
"Voghera Fotografia, both because of the tight timeframe and the subject matter proposed, was an important challenge that nevertheless left me with great satisfaction, because it is never easy to create a homogenous link between photographic works by different artists," says Michele Dalla Palma, curator of the festival. "And yet, once the six exhibitions of the festival were set up, the extraordinary narrative thread that held them together was immediately apparent to all. From the ‘Origins‘ of Davide Pianezze to the faces multi-ethnic faces of Silvia Della Rocca, from the snapshots of Simone Migliaro to the glimpse of so many different worlds in the photographs of Edoardo Miola, Edoardo Agresti and myself, I have tried to interpret the theme ‘Around People‘ in a clear and immediately comprehensible way, to offer visitors a glimpse of what the world really is. Of this exciting adventure, I am left with the desire to continue to collaborate in the future with Arnaldo and his invaluable staff."
"The municipal administration has always believed in the goodness of the initiative, and our city has once again shown itself capable of fully responding to its citizens‘ need for culture," emphasises Paola Garlaschelli, Mayor of Voghera. "With the festival curated by Spazio 53, Voghera has become a place to meet and discuss the major topical issues, the challenges of our present and our future. The event was conceived and realised not only for photography enthusiasts, but for all those who appreciate the beauty, creativity and unifying power of the arts. The Municipal Administration‘s relationship with Spazio 53 has always been fruitful and we are certain that the programmes for the next editions will be even richer and more engaging. Teamwork, once again, has won out."
"The 5th edition of Voghera Fotografia - OFF, an event dedicated to photographic art, ended with an excellent response from the public and critics," comments Carlo Fugini, Voghera Municipality Culture Councillor. "The Municipal Administration and the Culture Councillor‘s Office are very grateful to Spazio 53 for its commitment in producing such an important event for Voghera.
All the sections, from black and white photography to colour images and portraits of multiple ethnicities, were highly appreciated. Our wish is that next year too we can have such an important event that can attract and enthuse an ever wider audience of visitors".
The organisers of Voghera Fotografia - OFF would also like to thank all the sponsors, partners and collaborators who made it possible or facilitated the holding of the event.
A thought of gratitude also goes to all the organisations and the many private entities that in various ways supported the smooth running of the rich programme.
The festival was held under the patronage of: Municipality of Voghera, Lombardy Region, Province of Pavia, Cariplo Foundation, Community Foundation of the Province of Pavia, FIAF and UNICEF.
