10 YEARS OLD
2007-2017: a history of the world told through the images of the Fondazione Cassa di risparmio di Modena Collection
Artists: Zbigniew Libera, Anna Niesterowicz, Artur Żmijewski, Hung-Chih Peng, Mikhael Subotzky, Risaku Suzuki, Stephen Shore, Ryuji Miyamoto, Astrid Kruse, Jensen, Július Koller, Yeondoo Jung, Axel Hütte, Naoya Hatakeyama, Bob Gosani, Robert Frank, Cao Fei, Alexandra Croitoru, Jodi Bieber, Gabriele Basilico, Franco Fontana, Luigi Ghirri, Mimmo Jodice, Olivo Barbieri, Nobuyoshi, Araki Kimsooja, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Miwa Yanagi, Maja Bajević, Iosif Király, Mladen Stilinović, Milica Tomić, Mounir Fatmi, Pieter Hugo, Hrair Sarkissian, Jinoos Taghizadeh, Guy Tillim, Matías Duville, Laura Glusman, Mauro Restiffe, Raghubir Singh, Vivan Sundaram, Robert Adams, Harry Callahan, Paul Caponigro, Garry Winogrand, Minor White, Lee Friedlander, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Samuel Fosso, Roy DeCarava, Swetlana Heger, Van Deren Coke, Walter Chappell, Walter Niedermayr, Wynn Bullock, Yael Bartana, Yang Fudong, Goddy Leye, Yto Barrada, Yasumasa Morimura, George Osodi, Fikret Atay, Ene-Liis Semper, Edward Weston, Diane Arbus, Dayanita Singh, David Zink Yi, David Goldblatt, Daniel Naudé, Daido Moriyama, Claudia Andujar, Bruce Davidson, Ansel Adams, Andreas Fogarasi, Anastasia Khoroshilova, Amar Kanwar, Aleksander Petlura, Akram Zaatari, Ai Weiwei, Ahlam Shibli, Adriana Bustos, Adrian Paci, Aaron Siskind, Wolfgang Tillmans, Willie Doherty, Wael Shawky, Trine Søndergaard, Tom Sandberg, Sarah Jones, Olivier Richon, Barbara Probst, Irwin Gillian, Wearing Kimsooja, # Tabaimo.
It has been 10 years since the birth of the Fondazione Fotografia Modena, a cultural project entirely devoted to imagery, soon evolved into an internationally renowned exhibiting and training centre. To celebrate this first important anniversary an exhibition will be organised in spring 2017, able to mirror the diverse range of activities carried out by the institution.
Curated by Filippo Maggia, head of the Fondazione Fotografia, and Chiara Dall’Olio, the exhibition 10 years old will run March 11th through April 30th, 2017, at the Modena Foro Boario, and will showcase a wide selection of highlights from the collection of photography and video art owned by the Fondazione Cassa di risparmio di Modena. As an operating company of the bank foundation, the Fondazione Fotografia is in charge of conservation and enhancement of this major collection, comprising more than 1,200 works.
250 masterpieces from the collection will be shown years after being purchased and exhibited for the first time, by 95 Italian and international artists, including Ansel Adams, Nobuyoshi Araki, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, Yto Barrada, Walter Chappell, Samuel Fosso, David Goldblatt, Pieter Hugo, Daido Moriyama, Adrian Paci, Hrair Sarkissian, Dayanita Singh, Wael Shawky, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Wolfgang Tillmans, Ai Weiwei, Edward Weston, Garry Winogrand, together with Olivo Barbieri, Gabriele Basilico, Franco Fontana, Luigi Ghirri, Mimmo Jodice, Walter Niedermayr.
All along its activity the Fondazione Fotografia has always put an effort in supporting young artists, promoting training courses, workshops and educational projects aimed at students, as well as open calls and contests. In order to mirror this salient aspect of its mission, a section of the exhibition, entitled Being Political, will present a selection of young Italian artists, under 40 years old, who have been chosen through a contest launched in December 2016 and entered by 77 participants.
Drawing on a video in collection, ‘How do you want to be governed?’, 2009, by Maja Bajevic, the contest was focused on young people’s relationship with politics. In the video, Bajević frames a tense, yet unemotional female subject, while a male hand enters the frame and engages with her physically. Although his body remains invisible, his voice can be heard, asking the question “How do you want to be governed,” over and over. No answer is given. Fondazione Fotografia has posed the same question to young artists, encouraging them to submit works reflecting on power relations inside and outside of the realm of the art system.
Winners of the contest are Leonardo Cannistrà (Catanzaro, 1989), Irene Fenara (Bologna, 1990), Gianni Ferrero Merlino (Torino, 1976), Guido Nosari (Trescore Balneario BG, 1984), Marco Tagliafico (Alessandria, 1985).