The PhotoVogue Festival takes place at Base Milano in Milan from 17 – 20 November 2022. This marks the 7th edition of the prestigious photography festival. Alessia Glaviano, Head of Global PhotoVogue and Director of PhotoVogue Festival, explains the theme for this year’s festival,
“Looking at how many images are uploaded online every day, how many are consumed in our phones, devices where our eyes linger on an image no longer than 0.05 seconds before resuming the scrolling, I asked myself what would Susan Sontag say today? The “normalising” effect that this repeated exposure produces in relation to the content of the images can be of two opposite natures. On the one hand, it could be dangerous and cruel regarding the images of suffering; on the other hand, it could be used to push for a more diverse, just visual world. Our intention with this edition of the Festival is to start a conversation around what we will call ‘The Contradiction of Overexposure ’. We would like to provoke a debate on how the ubiquity of images shapes our ability to feel, read and understand images and the world that surrounds us.”
The festival will feature talks and exhibitions by renowned photographers, artists, thought leaders and industry giants. There’ll also be plenty of satellite events taking place at some of the city’s best galleries. Those unable to attend will be able to catch all of the festival’s happenings on the PhotoVogue online platform. Online portfolio reviews will also be available, allowing artists worldwide to share in the festivities.
Each exhibition is curated by Glaviano and Francesca Marani, Visual Editor of Global PhotoVogue, and will approach the theme from different angles. The exhibitions include:
Regarding The Pain Of Others
This exhibition focuses on some of the most iconic images and videos of traumatic events in our recent history. However, instead of displaying these media, the exhibition will present them through written descriptions. The exhibition invites visitors to challenge themselves to be more responsible viewers rather than passive observers and question their responsibility as consumers of images.
Face Forward: Redefining The Vogue Cover
This exhibition looks at the role that the Vogue editions from around the world have played in pushing for a more diverse visual world. According to Edward Enninful, the European Editorial Director of Vogue,
“Fashion is a language spoken mainly through life and photography – and the latter can be a powerful storytelling tool to overcome issues of representation. This is particularly evident looking at all the covers from our international editions of Vogue. We are taking a stand, celebrating how beautiful and diverse the world really is.”
The Next Great Fashion Image Makers
Vogue sent out a worldwide open call to identify upcoming fashion image makers whose work pushes the boundaries of the current fashion landscape. This exhibition is the result of the open call. Not only will the work of these artists be featured at the festival, but they will also get the chance to work within the Condé Nast Global Network.
The exhibition features 40 artists from 24 countries selected by an international jury. Five of these incredible artists are South African creatives. They include:
Imraan Christian
Imraan Christian is a visual artist who launched into the global spotlight following his coverage of the 2015/2016 Fees Must Fal protests. Since then, his work has graced the walls of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, Photo Basel, 2020 PhotoVogue Festival, as well as global platforms including CNN, UNICEF, MTV, BBC and more. His work seeks to deconstruct Post-Apartheid South African identities while attempting to create new mythologies for the country’s youth. His piece chosen for the exhibition is titled “MODJADJI RESTS I, 2021″.
Carl Van Der Linde
Carl Van Der Linde is a dynamic portrait and documentary photographer. His work regularly transports viewers to distant lands and niche environments known by few others. His recent work includes documenting the youth culture of Zanzibar, the secret life of Ukrainian combat school students, and photographing esteemed artist William Kentridge. For the PhotoVogue festival, his piece titled “South India Textiles” will form part of the exhibition.
Jodi Bieber
Jodi Bieber is a renowned documentary photographer whose photograph of Bibi Aisha from Afghanistan earned her a cover on Time magazine, a position in The New York Times and CNN’s top 100 photographs that influenced the previous decade as well as the World Press Photo of the Year. Her submission for the PhotoVogue festival includes the work she did for French label Dior for their Dior Cruise 2020 collection.
Lee-Ann Olwage
Lee-Ann Olwage is a documentary photographer whose work centres on identity, celebration and collaboration. Her most outstanding work has reached the pages of Vogue, Vanity Fair, Dazed, The Guardian and more. Her work following the lives of drag queens in Cape Town won the World Press Photo award in 2018. Olwage’s work “The Right To Play”, which documents the girls of Kakenya’s Dream, a Kenyan NGO that seeks to empower young girls, will form part of the Next Great Fashion Image Makers exhibition.
Aart Verrips
Aart Verrips is a talented fashion photographer whose worked with some of the world’s leading fashion brands. Some of his most notable work includes photographing the work of South African designer and 2019 LVMH winner Thebe Magugu. Verrips was drawn into the world of photography by the desire to create a new world with the art form. For the PhotoVogue Next Great Fashion Image Makers exhibition, Verrips will be exhibiting his work titled “Office Day”.
