Massimiliano Gatti Wins First Artifact Prize with Aleppo Soap Photography
Massimiliano Gatti received the first-ever Artifact Prize, presented by Associazione Culturale Metronom in collaboration with Francesco Pozzi & Soci and the Municipality of Castelvetro di Modena, for his work 'Aleppo è una foglia d’oro'. Born in Pavia in 1981, Gatti captured archaeological efforts in the Middle East, symbolizing the region's devastation through Aleppo soap. The panel of judges comprised Fabrizia Carabelli, Alessandro Carrer, Vittorio Iervese, Andrea Losavio, Marcella Manni, Chiara Massimo, and Francesco Pozzi. Davide Marzorati, a Milan native born in 1988, claimed second place with 'As the Crown Flies'. Valentina d’Accardi and Claudia Sinigaglia, both born in 1985, shared third place for 'Inconscio Idraulico' and 'Untitled', respectively. A catalog will be released in mid-September, with plans to continue the initiative in 2019.
Key facts
- Massimiliano Gatti won the first Artifact Prize with 'Aleppo è una foglia d’oro'.
- The prize was promoted by Associazione Culturale Metronom, Francesco Pozzi & Soci, and the Municipality of Castelvetro di Modena.
- Gatti is a photographer born in Pavia in 1981, who followed archaeological missions in the Middle East and Iraqi Kurdistan.
- His project uses Aleppo soap as a symbol of the Syrian conflict, showing its transformation from solid to crumbled.
- The jury included Fabrizia Carabelli, Alessandro Carrer, Vittorio Iervese, Andrea Losavio, Marcella Manni, Chiara Massimo, and Francesco Pozzi.
- Second prize went to Davide Marzorati for 'As the Crown Flies', an installation about creolization between European colonial objects and local cultures.
- Third prize ex-aequo was awarded to Valentina d’Accardi for 'Inconscio Idraulico' and Claudia Sinigaglia for 'Untitled' drawings.
- A catalog of selected works will be presented in mid-September, and the initiative is planned to be repeated in 2019 on a larger scale.
Entities
Artists
- Massimiliano Gatti
- Davide Marzorati
- Valentina d’Accardi
- Claudia Sinigaglia
Institutions
- Associazione Culturale Metronom
- Francesco Pozzi & Soci
- Comune di Castelvetro di Modena
- INSIDE ART
- ISIA Urbino
- Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia
- Galleria d406
- Rotary Club Castelvetro di Modena
Locations
- Pavia
- Italy
- Middle East
- Iraqi Kurdistan
- Aleppo
- Syria
- Milan
- Paris
- Shanghai
- Bologna
- Padua
- Castelvetro di Modena