Mattia Marzorati is the photographer of the Sirmione Photo Residency 2024
The jury chose his project among the 125 submitted, coming from 15 different countries
The third edition of the Sirmione Photo Residency has a face: that of Mattia Marzorati, a young photographer from Como who convinced the jury of the award and who will be the protagonist of the 2024 Sirmione residence.
It was not an easy task for the commission, which, chaired by Andréa Holzherr, Global Exhibitions Director and curator of Magnum Photos, chose its project among the 125 presented, all of great interest and coming from 15 different countries around the world.
The quality of the proposals received, practically from all over the world, is a measure of the growing interest in the Sirmione photographic residency and the reputation that the Sirmione Award for Photography has consolidated over the years.
A significant platform for photographic art, capable of attracting talents looking for opportunities for creative exploration and professional opportunities.
This year, for the first time, photographers were asked to present both a project already completed and the project idea for the Sirmione residence at the time of the application for participation.
The works with which Mattia Marzorati convinced the jury both reflect the environmental themes that characterize his poetics.
The repertoire project presented by the photographer from Como is entitled The land of holes and was created in 2021.
The work investigated the environmental critical issues of the province of Brescia and the disastrous consequences for the territory and its inhabitants. A report that covers various topics: waste disposal, mafia infiltration and the apparently efficient economic system but with disastrous consequences for the territory and its inhabitants. The images tell the story of the landscape, the residents, the companies that operate in the area, the Brescia incinerator, the intensive farming, the activist groups and the events that have affected the area.
An environmental sensitivity that will also characterize the new project that Mattia Marzorati will create during his Sirmione residency and in which he will work in close collaboration with Andréa Holzherr and Ludovica Pellegatta of Magnum Photos.
The project that Mattia will carry out next October is entitled venatùra:
“Narrating Sirmione through a gaze focused on the nature that inhabits the territory. The water, the flora and the rocks will be the protagonists of the photographic investigation. The coasts and the body of water that bathes Sirmione will be photographed from above and will go to form a mosaic with a double historical and artistic value; the colors and shapes will be a testimony to the state of health of Lake Garda in a delicate period marked by the climate crisis. In addition to this aerial mapping, the olive trees, cypresses and reeds will be portrayed , wild roses, oleanders and algae which for centuries have adapted to the unique climate of this area but which will have to deal with increasingly high temperatures and extremely low or violent rainfall immortalize the current state of nature, creating a useful visual document for years to come, capable of emphasizing the aesthetic aspect of this silent and ancient beauty which can also be taken care of with the eyes”.
During her stay here in Sirmione, we will have the opportunity to meet again Simona Ghizzoni, the 2023 resident photographer, who will present the book resulting from her residency last year.
Mattia Marzorati Cantù (1992). After several experiences in the field of international cooperation and development, in 2015 he began working with photography in Peru focusing on social and environmental issues. He studies photography in Granada where he carries out the Behind the Scenes project. Since 2017 he has published various reports in Italian and foreign media and collaborates with various NGOs. He works on various social issues, especially related to migration, in Uganda, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Iran and Greece. Between 2019 and 2021 he developed the La terra dei buchi project, focusing on environmental issues and land exploitation in Lombardy. The project is published by the Seipersei publishing house and wins the RESET prize from Sistema Festival Fotografia. Numerous exhibitions and screenings of his works in galleries and museums, including the Museion of Bolzano, Athens Photo Festival, Photoszene Köln, Brighton Photo Fringe, Photo Vogue Festival.
Sirmione Photo Residency: all participants of the 2024 edition
All photo competitions of the Sirmione Prize for photography
Mattia Marzorati photographer of the Sirmione Photo Residency 2024: the Press Release
In the photo gallery we offer a selection of images taken from the La terra dei buchi project.
