Having 20 years: European Photography 2025, presented the program of the 20th edition of the festival

Reggio Emilia is preparing to host the 20th edition of Fotografia Europea, the festival that has been observing contemporaneity through the eyes of great authors and young debutants since 2006. From April 24 to June 8, 2025, the city will once again become the center of international photography with a rich program of exhibitions and events. The theme chosen for this edition is Being Twenty, an age of dreams, contradictions and uncertainties. A stage of life in which everything seems possible, but in which the weight of expectations can be overwhelming. The artistic direction, entrusted to Tim Clark (editor 1000 Words), Walter Guadagnini (photography historian and Director of CAMERA - Centro Italiano per la Fotografia) and Luce Lebart (researcher and curator, Archive of Modern Conflict), wanted to explore the meaning of this age in the age of Generation Z, between opportunities opened by technological progress and new social crises.

The festival’s main venues will be the Chiostri di San Pietro, Palazzo da Mosto, Palazzo dei Musei, Biblioteca Panizzi and Spazio Gerra, as well as the spaces of the OFF Circuit, where exhibitions by established photographers and emerging talents will alternate.

The Weight and Lightness of Twenty Years.

How often do adults utter the phrase “I was twenty again,” imagining a return to that season of life when everything still seems possible? Yet, what does it really mean to be twenty years old today? While it is the age of discovery and self-determination, it is also a period marked by strong contradictions. One is already an adult, but often still lives at home with one’s parents. One is hyperconnected, but the loneliness can be overwhelming. Personal and social expectations are immense: finding fulfilling work, building meaningful relationships, imagining and building a better world.

Big names on display

Among the most anticipated exhibitions is the major retrospective Daido Moriyama: a retrospective, shown at the Cloisters of St. Peter’s on Daido Moriyama, organized by Instituto Moreira Salles and curated by Thyago Nogueira. Also at St. Peter’s Cloisters, Andy Sewell will present Slowly and Then All at Once, while Claudio Majorana is exhibiting Mal de Mer. Ghazal Golshiri & Marie Sumalla will bring You don’t die, while Vinca Petersen brings Raves and Riots. Jessica Ingram presents We are Carver, while Thaddé Comar offers How was your dream? There will be no shortage of visions by Kido Mafon with IFUCKTOKYO - DUAL MAIN CHARACTER or Toma Gerzha with Control Refresh. Finally, Karla Hiraldo Voleau will bring Fragments.

Palazzo da Mosto and the new commissions

At Palazzo da Mosto, Federica Sasso will present Intangible, the official commission of the 2025 festival, while projects selected by the Open Call jury include Michele Borzoni and Rocco Rorandelli, authors of Silent Spring, and Matylda Nizegorodcew with Octopus’s Diary. A large space will be devoted to photo books with Fluorescent Adolescent, an exhibition curated by Francesco Colombelli. The festival will continue with Speciale diciottoventicinque, a project dedicated to young people curated by Camilla Marrese and Gabriele Chiapparini, and Electric Whispers by Rä di Martino, under the curatorship of Maria Rosa Sossai. Finally, it continues with Women See Many Things, a project by WeWorld along the Swahili Coast.

Luigi Ghirri tribute and other venues

Among special collaborations, Palazzo dei Musei will host Luigi Ghirri. Lessons in Photography, a project dedicated to Luigi Ghirri curated by Ilaria Campioli. The same space will host Giovane Fotografia Italiana #12 - Premio Luigi Ghirri 2025, which gathers the looks of new generations on the theme Unire/Bridging. Spazio Gerra will instead be home to Volpe Laila Slim and the Others. Resisting Twenty Years, a survey curated by Stefania Carretti, Lorenzo Immovilli, Erika Profumieri, Massimo Storchi and Marco Cerri. The Panizzi Library will host Through the Light. The first twenty years of photography in the library’s collections, a survey curated by Monica Leoni, Elisabeth Sciarretta and Laura Gasparini. Finally, Collezione Maramotti will host Viviane Sassen’s This Body Made of Stardust.

Fotografia Europea 2025 aims to investigate these tensions through the eyes of those in their 20s today. The works on display address current issues such as job insecurity, digital identity, the sense of community and the need for change, bringing to light untold stories that tell the present with the strength and energy of those who still believe they can transform the world. The opening days, April 24-27, will offer a busy schedule of meetings, talks and guided tours, transforming Reggio Emilia into a crossroads for artists, curators and photography enthusiasts.

Having 20 years: European Photography 2025, presented the program of the 20th edition of the festival

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