Fotografia Europea 2016 Explores Roads, Journeys, and Borders

The 11th edition of Fotografia Europea, titled "La Via Emilia. Strade, viaggi, confini," runs from May 6 to July 10, 2016, in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Curated by Diane Dufour, Elio Grazioli, and Walter Guadagnini, the festival features 24 Magnum photographers, over 150 works by Walker Evans, and an original production by Paolo Gioli using photofinish technique at Palazzo dei Musei. A key exhibition, "Dalla via Emilia al mondo" at Palazzo da Mosto, brings together nine artists around themes of roads, travel, and borders, including Paolo Pellegrin's work on the US-Mexico border, Ziad Antar, Paola De Pietri, Kent Klich's installation on Gaza, German duo Stuke & Sieber, Nordic collective Manaantai, and Michael Najjar's space conquest imagery. Thirty years after Luigi Ghirri's "Esplorazioni sulla via Emilia" (1986), the festival presents "2016. Nuove esplorazioni," where contemporary artists like Paolo Ventura, Sebastian Stumpf, Davide Tranchina, and Antonio Rovaldi reinterpret the same locations. Guadagnini notes the festival's evolution from debates on analog vs. digital to a focus on the intersection of art photography with other forms. Grazioli emphasizes photography's continuous reinvention and the need to confront new technologies.