Ferdinando Scianna's Photographic Ode to Letterpress Printing at Galleria Antonia Jannone

Ferdinando Scianna's exhibition 'Un fotografo in tipografia' at Galleria Antonia Jannone in Milan presents black-and-white photographs taken inside the typography of Rodolfo Campi in Quinto de' Stampi, near Rozzano. The images document the traditional printing process used by the Milanese publisher Henry Beyle, founded by Vincenzo Campo, located in the Bovisa district. Scianna captures machines, typefaces, and workers with a tactile sense of light and volume, transforming industrial objects into sculptural presences. The accompanying volume, limited to 500 numbered copies, features hand-mounted photographs on ivory paper and includes scholarly texts by Matteo Codignola and Stefano Salis. The gallery, known for architectural drawings, provides a coherent context for these 'sapient constructions' that blend past and present craftsmanship. Scianna, born in Bagheria in 1943, brings his lifelong passion for photography and printing—honoring predecessors like Franco Sciardelli and Giorgio Upiglio—to this non-nostalgic yet deeply affectionate portrayal of a dying art.