Palermo's Cantieri Culturali: Photography, Migration, and Pop Parody

At Palermo's Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa, the Centro Internazionale di Fotografia, directed by Letizia Battaglia, presents two parallel projects addressing migration and social engagement. The documentary 'Tucataliiammia' (2019) by Alberto Castiglione follows Mohammed 'Momo', a 17-year-old Gambian migrant who survived a harrowing journey to Palermo and uses photography to rebuild his life. The film interweaves his story with Italian political events like the Diciotti case and far-right rallies. Concurrently, the exhibition 'Boys don't cry' (until May 25) features photos, videos, and drawings by five young migrants—Hamissa Dembélé, Mory Sangare, Fofana Abdoulaye, Buba Drammeh, and Kaita Aboubacar—who participated in a workshop led by photographer Ludovica Anzaldi in summer 2018 at the Asante reception center. Using a Hasselblad 500, they documented their lives, creating still lifes and portraits. In contrast, the nearby ZAC pavilion hosts 'Pyongyang Rhapsody – The Summit of Love' by Max Papeschi and Max Ferrigno, a loud pop satire of Trump and Kim Jong-un, criticized for lacking depth and curatorial direction. The article highlights the contrast between Battaglia's thoughtful programming and ZAC's absence of artistic leadership, noting the need for a coherent cultural strategy under new culture councilor Adham Darawsha.