FotogramMi, the first festival dedicated to architectural photography, is born in Milan

From May 20 to 24, 2025, the first edition of FotogramMi, Festival of Architecture Photography, promoted by the Foundation of the Order of Architects of Milan under the curatorship of Giovanna Calvenzi, will take place in Milan. The festival aims to be an opportunity for meeting and in-depth study open to both professionals and the interested public, through a program that includes talks, guided tours, master classes and workshops. The initiative was created with the aim of reflecting on the relationship between photography and architecture, focusing on Milan’s 20th-century modern legacy. The project is supported by Photography Strategy 2024, a program promoted by the Ministry of Culture’s General Directorate for Contemporary Creativity, under the patronage of the City of Milan and the Metropolitan City. Cultural partners include the Museum of Contemporary Photography (Mufoco) and Triennale Milano. The heart of the festival will be the headquarters of the Order of Architects, where the exhibition Milano Moderna Oggi. Milanese Architectures of the 20th Century, which will remain open to the public until July 18, 2025.The exhibition is partially inspired by the volume Milano Oggi, edited by Gio Ponti in 1957, which aimed to document, through annual publications, the architectural transformations of the city. The original publishing project was not continued, but today the exhibition intends to re-actualize that critical look at the modern architectures of the Lombard capital, investigating their current condition in the urban context.

The exhibition features a selection of images signed by seven photographers who, in different eras, documented buildings and spaces of 20th-century Milan: Gabriele Basilico, Giovanni Hänninen, Marco Introini, Delfino Sisto Legnani, Allegra Martin, Filippo Romano and Giovanna Silva. The selection criteria were the relevance of the architectures portrayed, their location, building types, the role of the designers, and the dialogue with the urban landscape. The interest in modern architecture is not limited to the documentary aspect: the festival aims to stimulate reflection on the current role of photography as a tool for analysis, narration and interpretation of urban transformation. At the conclusion of the exhibition, a portfolio of the festival is planned, available in print and digital format, which can also be consulted on the Foundation’s website.

The program will continue with a series of initiatives aimed at both professionals in the field and non-specialist audiences. These include two Modern Milan Architecture Photography Itineraries, scheduled for Wednesday, May 21 and Thursday, May 22, designed for architects, photographers and practitioners under 40. The sessions will be curated by four of the six photographers in the exhibition and will conclude on Friday, May 23, with a collective editing session of the images produced. In parallel, on the same days, two master classes in architectural photography curated by Giovanna Calvenzi and Marco Introini will be held at the Foundation’s headquarters, aimed at photographers and architects interested in exploring the techniques and languages of architectural storytelling through images. The program also includes events that are accessible to a wide audience, such as a thematic roundtable entitled Photography of Architecture, scheduled for Wednesday, May 22, at 6 p.m. The meeting aims to stimulate an open discussion on the languages of contemporary photography related to architecture and possible synergies between this field and other sectors such as publishing, cinema and digital platforms.

In addition to the appointments at the Order’s headquarters, the festival includes four guided tours to strategic places for photography in Milan and the Metropolitan City. The destinations include the Museum of Contemporary Photography (Mufoco)inCinisello Balsamo, Triennale Milano, the Gabriele Basilico Archive and the Epson showroom. These are stops chosen not only for their documentary relevance but also for their role in promoting visual culture related to architectural design. On Saturday, May 24, the final day of the festival, two workshops open to all audiences will be held. The first, curated by Alessandra Capodacqua, will be dedicated to smartphone photography, with the aim of enhancing the communicative and immediate potential of everyday photography. The second workshop, curated by Alberto Ostini for Alchemilla Cooperativa Sociale, will be aimed at families and will focus on the theme of instant photography, offering an educational and interactive opportunity for adults and children.

“We are very happy to be able to carry out the first edition of FotogramMi,” says Marialisa Santi, president of the Foundation of the Order of Architects of Milan, “Knowing, promoting and enhancing architectural photography is fundamental for the understanding of the reality in which we live, witnessing its transformations and creating new narratives of the city.”

FotogramMi, the first festival dedicated to architectural photography, is born in Milan

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