The 7th Edition of PhotoVogue Festival From 17 to 20 November in Milan

The first conscious fashion photography festival is back with exhibitions, events, and a rich program of talks. Held at Base in Milan, the festival will also have a digital presence with panels broadcasted and online portfolio reviews.

With the goal of creating a space to discuss the common ground between ethics and aesthetics, this year’s theme is WHAT WOULD SUSAN SONTAG SAY? The Contradiction of Overexposure: a debate on how the ubiquity of images shapes our ability to feel.

As Alessia Glaviano, Head of Global PhotoVogue and Director of PhotoVogue Festival says: “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? 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 rich program of talks spans over the whole duration of the festival. You will be able to attend either offline at Base Milano or online via the PhotoVogue platform. In line with the mission of the festival, the focus of the talks of this edition will range from photojournalism to fashion photography and will count with guests speakers such as Alfredo Jaar, Aïda Muluneh, Federica Chiocchetti, Fred Ritchin, and many others. 

The exhibitions located at Base will expand on the main theme from different perspectives. The first is Regarding The Pain of Others curated by Alessia Glaviano and Francesca Marani, the Visual Editor of Global PhotoVogue and co-curator of PhotoVogue Festival. The exhibition features the most iconic images and videos of devastating events in our recent history, although they will not be visually displayed but instead presented through their written description. Visitors are thus invited to think and visualise the photographs and videos with their mind's eyes, a challenge to be active responsible viewers rather than distracted passive voyeurs, questioning our responsibility as consumers of images. A humane, just and healthy society can’t be made up of passive consumers. The exhibition also includes Visual Literacy: A Critical Library, a selection of books, curated by Rica Cerbarano, that comprises works that have marked the history of photographic criticism and contemporary publications that have examined the current role of images. Its aim is to provide a comprehensive bibliography to approach the language of photography with consciousness and critical sense.

Face Forward: Redefining the Vogue Cover is an exhibition that features some of the most powerful, diverse covers from all global editions of Vogue. An example of how the “normalizing” effect that the repeated exposure could produce in relation to the content of the images can be used in pushing for a more diverse, just visual world. It is a collection that shows how important the work Vogue has done over many decades has been and can be, the reach that the magazine has, and how it can be influential in helping to build a better, more culturally inclusive world. The exhibition is part print and part digital, with a slideshow of all the covers.

The third exhibition is The Next Great Fashion Image Makers, the result of the first Global Multimedia Open Call, endorsed by all the editions of Vogue worldwide to identify talented fashion image makers whose vision pushes the boundaries of the current fashion landscape, and to give them the opportunity to work within the Condé Nast Global Network. It features 40 artists from 24 countries, selected by an international jury. As Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer and Global Editorial Director of Condé Nast says: “Vogue’s photography has always shown our audience the wider world through the lens of fashion. It’s a thrill to see this spirit reflected in the images from PhotoVogue’s first global open call. These photographs are exciting, boundary-pushing, beautiful, and a reminder of how much creativity there is around the world, and how much more is always waiting to be discovered.” 

The fourth exhibition is titled Italian Panorama, and features 25 artists from PhotoVogue’s first Local Open Call. They were selected by a Jury composed of Condé Nast staff from Italy and visual experts from the broader Italian visual community coming from as many different backgrounds as possible in order to guarantee an all-embracing, multifaceted perspective. The PhotoVogue’s first Local Open Call is dedicated to Italy as an homage to PhotoVogue’s origins. The call was open to all genres (from fashion to documentary, art, and reportage) and artists expressing themselves in every medium, from photography to video, illustration, 3D art, or any combination of these disciplines. The exhibition reflects Italy’s multicultural and diverse nature, something too often neglected and underrecognized.

You’ll also be able to visit Visual Communication for Change: Using Creativity to Address Neglected Tropical Diseases in Africa. In line with its mission to connect different cultures and amplify a diverse range of voices, PhotoVogue is partnering with renowned Ethiopian photographer and cultural entrepreneur Aïda Muluneh, founder of Addis Foto Fest (AFF) and Africa Foto Fair, to present her collection The Crimson Echo. Commissioned by the End Fund, as part of a group photography project titled Re-framing the END, The Crimson Echo highlights the impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) on individuals and communities. Alongside six other African photographers, Muluneh works to reframe how we tell stories about people impacted by NTDs across Africa and creates a powerful interpretation of the impact of NTDs on gender equity, mental health, mobility and access to resources.

Voice X Photovogue NFT Residency & Collection is PhotoVogue’s first foray into Web3 which took place in partnership with Voice, a carbon neutral digital art marketplace focused on emerging artists. A summer virtual residency taught 81 artists from around the world how to successfully enter the world of Web3 through digital workshops, mentorship, and additional resources. The photographers in this residency were tasked with creating projects about equity and justice. Some came back with works that are an ode to the difficulty of living in the midst of a war zone, others lamenting environmental destruction and the loss of local economies, others still addressing unique issues of feminism, sexuality, and queer identity. The exhibition takes the form of a digital installation that will showcase the collections created by the 81 talented artists who joined the residency.

Dates: November 17-20, 2022

Location: BASE Milano, Via Bergognone, 34, 20144 Milano MI, Italy

Opening Hours: November 16: Alfredo Jaar’s talk 6.30 p.m. / November 17: 2 p.m. - 9 p.m./ November 18-20: 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.

To learn more about the festival check the full program here, all of the exhibitions and talks are for free!