October sees the return of Open Archives, open to the public historical and contemporary public and private photo archives

From October 13 to 22, 2023, the ninth edition of Archivi Aperti, the Photography Network ’s event featuring the opening to the public of historic and contemporary public and private photographic archives, will be held in many Italian cities. Entitled The Archives of Italian Photographers: a heritage to be enhanced, the new edition aims to bring attention to an increasingly topical issue of great interest to both photographers and the preservation bodies and public institutions themselves. As Rete Fotografia points out, photography is a protected cultural asset, but for photographers’ archives, the current reality is multifaceted and uncertain: few are the projects that promote their effective knowledge and valorization, sporadic are the donations and acquisitions by public or private entities that place them within the system of cultural heritage, rare are the institutions of associations or foundations deputed to their preservation and fruition. The variables are many and are due to the relationship between the photographer and his patrons, both to ties with the territory to which they belong, but also to specific wishes depending on the type and subjects represented.

On Friday, October 13, 2023, the opening conference will be held at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan. It will be an opportunity for discussion between organizations and institutions that are working to protect and enhance the archives of Italian photographers. A number of photographers will also participate in the comparison, presenting the different choices made for the valorization of their archives.

The final roundtable of the review will be held on Sunday, October 22, 2023 at the Fondazione AEM headquarters in Milan. On this occasion the focus will be on the archives related to each photographer’s remaining activity. Several authors involved thanks to the collaboration of TAU Visual - Associazione Nazionale Fotografi Professionisti, AFIP International - Associazione Fotografi Professionisti and GRIN - Gruppo Redattori Iconografici Nazionale, members of Rete Fotografia, will talk about it.

All events of the review, most in-person, are free of charge. Reservations are required. The list of participating archives and the calendar are being finalized and will be available on the Photography Network website www.retefotografia.it

Image: CSAC Parma, Open Archives 2022

October sees the return of Open Archives, open to the public historical and contemporary public and private photo archives

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