Photo Solstice lands in La Maddalena . The 8th edition of the event, held annually around the summer solstice in iconic locations in Sardinia, has chosen the splendid Gallura island as the backdrop for its location. This area is marked by a rich history and the long-standing presence of one of the most important military bases in the Mediterranean. This is the central theme of this edition, which will run from June 18th to 21st : the relationship between conflict and landscape.
As every year, the photography workshop is at the heart of the project dedicated to contemporary photography, conceived and curated by Marco Delogu, directed by Franco Carta , and promoted by the AR/S – Arte Condivisa program of the Fondazione di Sardegna. Selected through an open call, participants will work in the Maddalena area in a collective process of photographic production, review, and critical discussion of their work, then present their projects in the event's closing session.
The event will feature many prominent guests, who will delight the public every evening from 7:00 PM at the Mercato Civico in Piazza Garibaldi with discussions on the role of photography in the artists' practices and the institutions they represent, in relation to themes that pervade the archipelago: the relationship between image and conflict, iconography and memory, photography and civic responsibility.
The talks (free admission) will open with a video greeting from Don McCullin, one of the leading war photojournalists of the 20th century, while guests include photographers Stefano Cerio, Davide Di Gianni, and Lorenzo Meloni; Emergency communications director Simonetta Gola; Peter N. Miller, president of the American Academy of Rome; visual storyteller Davide Monteleone; Silvio Pons, president of the Gramsci Foundation; Sam Stourdzé, director of the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici; and Giulia Tornari, founder of Zona and Gramma Studio.
The workshop kicks off on June 18th with a conversation between Marco Delogu and Silvio Pons, followed by a talk by Davide Monteleone. On Friday, Stefano Cerio will be the guest speaker, followed by Lorenzo Meloni in conversation with Simonetta Gola and Giulia Tornari. On Saturday, Davide Di Gianni will be present, along with a panel discussion with Sam Stourdzé and Marco Delogu; the final session of the photography workshop concludes on Sunday.
The icing on the cake of this edition is the launch of the Flavio Scollo Fellowship, an award established in memory of Flavio Scollo, photographer, friend, and collaborator of Photo Solstice, who passed away prematurely. Co-funded by the Scollo family and the Fondazione di Sardegna, the fellowship awards two grants to support the production of a photographic project to be developed in the region, which will be presented during the next edition of Photo Solstice.
