Letizia Battaglia: Fotografia come scelta di vita / Photography as a Life Choice
Monograph
On the occasion of the Venice presentation of the exhibition Letizia Battaglia: Photography as a Life Choice in 2019, the publishing house Marsilio Editori released an extensive monograph of the same title dedicated to the great Italian photographer Letizia Battaglia. The publication was edited by curator Francesca Alfano Miglietti, who also wrote the introductory essay.
Only a few left (1)
The bilingual Italian-English monograph Letizia Battaglia: Fotografia come scelta di vita / Photography as a Life Choice, much like the exhibition of the same title on view in Ljubljana until 2 October, includes around 300 photographs – many of them previously unpublished – selected from the extensive archive of Letizia Battaglia.
According to the publisher Marsilio Editori, the carefully selected photographs, accompanied by quotations from this nonconformist intellectual, portray Letizia Battaglia both as an artist and as a woman, while at the same time telling a broader story about life itself.
In addition to the introductory essay by curator Francesca Alfano Miglietti, the monograph features contributions by notable Italian figures such as Palermo mayor Leoluca Orlando, acclaimed chef Filippo La Mantia, and photographer Paolo Ventura. An essay by Maria Chiara Di Trapani reflects on life within the photographer’s archive.
Letizia Battaglia photographed the horrors of the Mafia, but also the beauty of life itself. The book therefore juxtaposes images of Mafia murders with the effortless elegance of girls from Palermo neighbourhoods. Readers will also recognize many prominent figures, such as Italian magistrate Giovanni Falcone and multidisciplinary artist Pier Paolo Pasolini, while also discovering portraits of numerous women in whom Battaglia saw reflections of herself.
The publication also documents the photographer’s political engagement, her editorial, theatre, and film work, as well as the founding of the International Center of Photography in Palermo.
Publisher: Marsilio Editori
Editor: Francesca Alfano Miglietti
Publication date: 2019