REPORTAGE:
MIA Fair

The MAG - 04.23

By Cristina Morozzi

This past March 20–23 at Superstudio Maxi, Milano Image Art Fair – the exhibition dedicated to contemporary photography, founded by Fabio Castelli and now in its 12th edition – displayed a varied selection of photographs by international photographers. 

Stronger than ever in terms of organization thanks to its becoming part of the Fiere di Parma group, it broadened its gaze, capturing the sentiment of the times, thanks also to the coordinated image entrusted to Davide Bramante (Syracuse 1970), one of the most interesting figures in Italian photography, represented by Fabbrica Eos. The work chosen as the icon of the 2023 Mia MI edition, belonging to the ideal city series, underlines MIA Fair’s link with Milan, whose Duomo – its ideal symbol – is mixed with other Milanese images to highlight the multicultural character of the city with its stratifications of different eras. 

MIA Fair is a sort of large collage, consisting of 100 exhibitors and more than 80 international galleries, enriched by cultural insights dedicated to lectures, debates and presentations. Surrounding the main section are a series of special projects, among which Reportage Beyond Reportage, curated by Emanuele Mazzonis of Pralafera, highlighting the various shades of today’s reportage: not only wars, disasters and extraordinary events, but also the telling of everyday stories.

The varied repertoire, including portraits, landscapes, still lifes and everyday objects, was carefully selected, ranging from realism, surrealism, romanticism, rustic, large formats, to compositions of small framed images, like holy cards, from black and whites to multiple colors, accentuated by pictorial touches, to images transpiring from perforated lace overlays, revealing how photography today is one of the most expressive and global languages. One that is capable of speaking directly, without linguistic mediation, to our emotions.