Stories Mattia Vacca: reporting from the margins Text by Alessandro Ronchi Add to bookmarks “The forgotten war of Nagorno-Karabakh” Nagorno-Karabakh 2017 The photographer from Como has produced a series of images that attest to his particularly keen eye for capturing the in-between moments of absurdity or intense humanity that arise from the interactions between people and their surroundings. “S’ Ardia” Italy 2009 Mattia Vacca's photographs boast complete aesthetic self-sufficiency, for, though beautiful when viewed individually, they are intended to be read and understood as part of a series. They communicate the tension that inheres in reportage, and convey a specific sense of place and situation, evidenced in, for example, the images of the Lithuanian military units in the Kaliningrad enclave waiting for the Russians as if they were Buzzati’s barbarians; images of varying intensity of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; an image of one of the last ritual carnivals of the Alps, in Schignano; and images of horsemen in the mountains of Barbagia. What they all have in common is their liminality, for these are pictures forever on the verge of disappearing from the margins of history, geography and the chronicles of everyday life. “The forgotten war of Nagorno-Karabakh” Nagorno-Karabakh 2017 If we had to identify recurring formal characters from among the images of disparate situations and places, we would find them in the subjects of the photographs, whose secretive expressions and surreptitious glances bristle with intrigue, interrogation and threat. Like a dagger point, the images pierce the consciousness of the beholder and throw the underlying poetics of Mattia Vacca’s vision into sharp relief. “S’ Ardia” Italy 2009 “S’ Ardia” Italy 2009 “S’ Ardia” Italy 2009 “S’ Ardia” Italy 2009 “The last days of Doukhobors’ disappearing community” Georgia 2017 “The last days of Doukhobors’ disappearing community” Georgia 2017 31 “A winter’s tale” Italy 2010-2020 “The last days of Doukhobors’ disappearing community” Georgia 2017 “A winter’s tale” Italy 2010-2020 26 October 2021 Share
Stories Designing outdoor spaces: parks and playgrounds to (re)discover From the new permanent installation by Parasite 2.0 in Piedmont to the skatepark outside the Centre Pompidou designed by the artist Raphaël Zarka and local architect Jean-Benoît Vétillard Serena Scarpello
Exhibitions Vases, carpets, plates, screens: the barometer of decoration The latest edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano confirmed the trend towards ornamentation, marking out contemporary living spaces. Celebrating its buzz in the name of expressive freedom. Giulia Zappa
Salone Selection The holiday library. 5 important books to savor tranquilly From Robert Wilson’s chairs to fables about the Castiglioni brothers. From the Compasso d’Oro to Beatrice Leanza’s thoughts and a bookazine on luxury. Essential reading for all those with a passion for the topic. Patrizia Malfatti
