The illustrious 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.
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 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 consumption in our lives.
And now that photography is becoming more and more travel motivation photography, thanks to the many festivals, photographic, open calls for artists, photography enthusiasts and the simple curious will have an extra excuse to come #inEmiliaRomagna to discover the genius of Luigi Ghirri
On the thirtieth anniversary of his death, his region pays homage to him with a program of events with the emblematic title “Vedere Oltre" (Seeing Beyond), along the Via Emilia, starring the cities of Reggio Emilia, Modena and Parma.
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 among the most prestigious galleries, institutions and museums around the world.
It starts with three exhibitions that range from the doors of the collections kept in the spaces of the Palazzo dei Musei in Reggio Emilia, of FMAV - Fondazione Modena Arti Visive in Modena, of the CSAC of the University of Parma and with the newborn Ghirri Award for Young Italian Photography during the European Photography Festival.
“Luigi Ghirri. Vedere Oltre "will also become part of the photographic heritage of Emilia-Romagna, a land increasingly profoundly dedicated to photography, which in 2021 created Photo Valley, the first complete mapping of everything that revolves around photography in the region, with 190 reported realities distribute over 60 municipalities, including photographic archives, collections, photographic clubs and cultural associations, publishers, festivals and events, photo libraries, galleries and exhibition spaces, museums, institutions and foundations, schools, courses and workshops.“
