15/07/2025
The 5th edition of the Lagazuoi Photo Award New Talents is underway.
Four young photographers at the summit: the Dolomites become a creative workshop
The fifth edition of the Lagazuoi Photo Award New Talents is kicking off.
Four young photographers, guided by the attentive eyes of two tutors, experience a creative immersion at the summit of Lagazuoi.
An experience among the majestic peaks of the Dolomites for a series of original photographs that will be exhibited at the Lagazuoi EXPO from September 6 to October 19, 2025.
Cortina d'Ampezzo, July 15, 2025 _ The 2025 edition of the Lagazuoi Photo Award New Talents is back, featuring a new group of young photographers ready to take on the challenge. The project, curated by Lagazuoi EXPO Dolomiti, the museum space at the arrival of the Lagazuoi cable car between Cortina d'Ampezzo and Alta Badia, begins with an artist residency that evolves into an exceptional educational experience.
Photographers selected from the Istituto Italiano di Fotografia in Milan, the CFP Bauer - AFOL Metropolitana in Milan, and the Officine Fotografiche in Rome are already at work, having ascended to an altitude of 2,700 meters to spend five days in the high mountains. Under the guidance of two experienced tutors, they refine their gaze and technique, drawing inspiration from the silent power of the Dolomites. From this dialogue, original photographic projects will emerge, which will be showcased in an exhibition scheduled at the Lagazuoi Expo Dolomiti from September 6 to October 19, 2025.
This year's edition is honored by the collaboration and support of Closer – the Bologna Festival of Social and Documentary Photography, which biennially showcases the collective works of photographers selected through an international call, alongside exhibitions by renowned artists. Additionally, it is supported by BAW – Bolzano Art Weeks, a collective festival created to provide a shared physical and temporal context for the contemporary art scene in South Tyrol.
The two tutors are photographer Guido Samuel Frieri for Closer and curator Nicolò Faccenda for BAW.
For Guido S. Frieri, photography is the medium through which he portrays humanity in its most authentic form. His images give a voice to those living on the margins, revealing people whose lives reflect contemporary society. The camera becomes the tool to reveal a reality where beauty is synonymous with courage and dignity, where human beings, even in humanly unsustainable situations, do not succumb or lose their pride.
Nicolò Faccenda is an art historian who has dedicated himself to research and visual storytelling, giving voice to projects that focus on the artist and the region. As a scientific consultant for various festivals, exhibitions, and events, he curates exhibitions of emerging and established artists with both local and international profiles. He works with a wide range of media, from painting to street art, photography to installation, and video art to performance, at various locations throughout South Tyrol and Trentino.
Year after year, the Award reaffirms its commitment to nurturing young talent, inviting them to explore the mountains in a new light.
This edition features an educational project titled "Lagazuoi Here and Now: A Photographic Experience in Three Acts", which aims to take young people away from the noise, into a relaxed and non-urban setting, to authentically and personally capture life at high altitudes. The mountain serves as a character, a stage, and a setting to tell a story through images, exploring three main themes: territory, people, and food. At the same time, we will focus on the dialogue between the curator and the artist to identify and enhance the poetic specificity of each photographer and define the narrative plan for the final exhibition.
This year, 35 young photographers participated with their own personal photography projects. Among them, four were selected by the jury to participate in a five-day residency on Mount Lagazuoi. During their stay, they will create new, original photographic projects inspired by the mountains, which will be presented to the public at the exhibition opening on Saturday, September 6, at the Lagazuoi Expo Dolomiti.
Giorgia Armas proposed the project "Fil'e Oru," which explores the theme of patriarchy and the female figure in Sardinian society, where women play a central role in a millennia-old interweaving of cultures.
The jury's reasons: "For the creativity and excellent graphic presentation of the work." The project stands out for its blend of image and manual intervention, featuring a rich and well-structured visual approach. The interplay between photography and embroidery results in an original, identity-driven, and intimate work. A well-crafted presentation, perhaps not always balanced in its narrative passages, but very personal."
Filippo D'Eugenio stood out with his proposal, "Where Stone Was Tamed," which serves as a visual and conceptual ode to the magnificence of Apuan marble, its natural beauty, and the forms sculpted by human effort and time.
Jury's reasons: "For the technique and compositional skills demonstrated in a solid and coherent project. The careful framing, skillful use of natural light, and balance between human elements and the mining landscape create powerful and elegant images. The work conveys an austere and rarefied beauty, with a vision that both enhances the subject and abstracts it."
Patrick Scilabra presented "Aeternitas," a visual narrative of the Balangero-Corio open-pit mine on Monte San Vittorio, the largest asbestos mine in Europe.
Jury's reasons: "For the narrative strength and the use of color. The images accompany a powerful narrative of memory and environmental transformation. The visual language is mature one, and the combination of documentary photography and a poetic approach is highly effective. The project is well-structured from a textual perspective, with a few passages that might be a bit dense, but overall, it is well-focused."
Chiara Sugaroni presented the story "Liliana." The story of an 85-year-old grandmother who has been living with the debilitating effects of a stroke for 13 years. The images convey loneliness and frustration, as well as the strength of those who strive to take care of themselves.
Jury's reasons: "For its strong narrative sensitivity. The work delicately and powerfully touches on an intimate and familiar theme, never slipping into the pathetic. The images portray the protagonist's experience with honesty and respect. A sincere, heartfelt, and well-developed project, despite some technical naivety."
The best photographic project created during the residence on Monte Lagazuoi will be awarded on Saturday, September 6, at the Lagazuoi Expo Dolomiti, during the exhibition's inauguration.
Lagazuoi EXPO Dolomiti is confirmed as the driving force behind not only the Lagazuoi Photo Award but also the Lagazuoi Winning Ideas Mountain Award, a prize dedicated to innovative ideas in the mountain world. For years, the Lagazuoi Expo has been promoting quality content and culturally significant initiatives through two curatorial projects, aiming to highlight young talents and contribute to an "alternative" view of the mountains.
The project is carried out with the support and partnership of BPER Banca Private Cesare Ponti, and Villani Salumi as the food partner.
Stefano Illing, the creator of the Lagazuoi Expo Dolomiti, comments: "We believe that cultural heritage is an essential part of a place's identity and a valuable resource. This is why we are committed to enhancing the mountains, making them accessible while fostering a deep reflection on the connection between humans and nature.
The Lagazuoi Photo Award New Talents was created with the goal of promoting a new vision of the mountains through a renewed and contemporary visual language. The four selected young people will explore a new territory, transforming the complexity of this experience into images."
Lagazuoi EXPO Dolomiti_In 2018, the arrival station of the Lagazuoi Cable Car, situated at an altitude of 2,732 meters, transformed into an art gallery, a high-tech exhibition center, and a laboratory of ideas about the mountains and models of slow and sustainable tourism. Lagazuoi EXPO Dolomiti is a place of cultural re-elaboration that generates genuine curatorial content, such as the Lagazuoi Winning Ideas Mountain Awards, a competition that highlights materials, technologies, applications, and high-tech solutions related to the highlands, and the Lagazuoi Photo Award, which aims to develop an original visual language about the mountains. This accessible and energy-efficient facility features exhibition halls, a room for events and meetings, and a terrace bar, making it an ideal venue for hosting events. All this is strategically located between Cortina d'Ampezzo and Alta Badia, in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. https://lagazuoi.it/
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Media Relations & PR Chiara Caliceti, mob. 334 693 3176, chiara.caliceti@secnewgate.it
Ufficio stampa
Susanna Caruso, mob. 335 104 3199, susanna.caruso@secnewgate.it
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