Betta Gancia's Light Drawings at Galleria in Turin

Betta Gancia's exhibition 'Light Drawings' in Turin presents her photographic work that reduces the medium to its essence: writing with light. Influenced by abstract painting, the Turin-based photographer has long worked on sublimating reality through a calligraphic approach. She takes to the streets at night to capture lights in the darkness, using her camera as a brush or pencil. Her technique is precise, avoiding post-production, resulting in luminous signs on black backgrounds printed on cotton paper with a painterly quality. The exhibition includes many new works and series dedicated to lights with particular stories, such as those from the Piccolo Teatro in Milan. These symbols of theatrical life become dynamic, ethereal presences expressing lightness despite depth and structure. Gancia practices a 'blind' photography, unable to see the result through the viewfinder; she dislikes theater but loves dance, preferring forms and movements over words. Her nocturnal life—a product of sleep metabolism turned stylistic signature—has become an opportunity for unprecedented visions, pictorialist creations, and avant-garde citations. The article is by Nicola Davide Angerame.