Following the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of his death, Luigi Ghirri's region continues to pay tribute to him with a programme of events. The illustrious and internationally renowned Emilian photographer Luigi Ghirri (Scandiano, January 5, 1943 - Reggio Emilia, February 14, 1992) has always had an intimate and special bond with his region.
A central figure in the international panorama of twentieth century photography, he was able to promote a photographic culture, which put his language at the center and discussed contemporary art. His strongly intimist approach to photography translates into the strong impact of his shots, many of which depict and tell the stories of the most evocative corners of Emilia Romagna (see Explorations on the Via Emilia 1986).
A great interpreter and innovator of the photographic language in color, who described himself as "a boy sitting on a low wall who captures the life that passes in front of him" and who, to create his work, drew transversely from architecture, reading, cinema and from songs thanks to the collaborations with Aldo Rossi, Ermanno Cavazzoni, Gianni Celati and Lucio Dalla, turning everyday banality into emotions in engaging images.
His look, minimal and poetic, is perhaps even more current today than in the past, made up of timeless images that evoke profound and contemporary themes, such as the relationship between artificial and natural or the presence of consumerism in our lives.
And now that photography is becoming more and more a motivation to travel, thanks to the many festivals, photographic exhibitions, open calls for artists, photography enthusiasts and the simply curious will have an extra excuse to come #inEmiliaRomagna to discover the genius of Luigi Ghirri.
An opportunity to renew interest in an excellence of Emilia Romagna photographic culture, whose fame first crossed the borders of Emilia and then national ones, exhibiting in the most prestigious galleries, institutions and museums around the world.
The Luigi Ghirri Archive has also become part of the photographic heritage of Emilia-Romagna under the aegis of the Photo Valley project, the first complete mapping of everything that revolves around photography in the region, with no less than 190 reported realities spread over 60 municipalities, including photographic archives, collections, photography clubs and cultural associations, publishers, festivals and events, photo libraries, galleries and exhibition spaces, museums, institutions and foundations, schools, courses and workshops.
Following the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of Luigi Ghirri's death, his region continues to pay tribute to him with a programme of events.
