Luigi Ghirri's Night Photography Explored in Reggio Emilia Exhibition

The exhibition 'Luigi Ghirri. Zone di passaggio' at the Musei Civici di Reggio Emilia, open until March 2, 2025, explores the dialogue between light and darkness through Ghirri's works and those of contemporary artists. Curator Ilaria Campioli explains that the show starts from Ghirri's concept of 'good light' that still allows perception of darkness. The selection focuses on images of ephemeral lights: church illuminations, village festivals, fireworks. The exhibition includes a historical reference to Albert Londe's manual 'La photographie à la lumière artificielle' (early 20th century), which explored early artificial lighting techniques like magnesium powder. Extracts from Londe's book are displayed in each room, creating a conceptual thread linking technological progress with Ghirri's and contemporary works. The show also highlights 'micro-ruptures' created by sudden flashes of light, visible in works by Paola Di Bello (capturing firefly movements) and Amedeo Martegani (using LEDs on a horse in a dark forest). Other contemporary artists include Gregory Crewdson, who works with theatrical artificial lights, and Paola De Pietri, who reflects on natural light's delicacy. Ghirri's approach, blending visual poetry with theoretical reflection and contaminating photography with literature, music, and publishing, continues to inspire new generations of photographers.