Trani dedicates a monograph to Letizia Battaglia, one year after her death

The Beltrani Palace of Arts in Trani is hosting from March 31 to May 31, 2023 the exhibition Letizia Battaglia. Testimony and Narrative. A roundup of thirty black-and-white shots that have marked the visual memory of the history of our country, ranging from the unconscious beauty of the little girls of the Sicilian slums (one above all The little girl with the ball in Palermo’s Cala district) to the face of Pier Paolo Pasolini, the dead at the hands of the Mafia, including Piersanti Mattarella, and then, again, the religious processions, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, up to the arrest of the ferocious boss Leoluca Bagarella. True testimony, often cruel and bloody, of the passionate civil and political commitment of Letizia Battaglia, who for 30 years photographed her land, Sicily, with images denouncing mafia activity in reportages for the Palermo daily L’Ora, which elected her one of the first Italian photojournalists. Over the years, Letizia Battaglia’s fame has gone from a regional to a national and international dimension. Notoriety rewarded not only by numerous awards around the world, but also by the New York Times, which in 2017 included the 82-year-old photographer among the eleven most influential women of the year for her commitment as an artist.

Letizia Battaglia embodies in herself art, civic engagement, participation and passion. And Trani celebrates her one year after her death with a monographic exhibition that bears witness to 30 years of Italian life and society.

The exhibition aims to return the intensity that characterizes all of her work: from her editorial activity to her theatrical and cinematographic work, passing through the fresco of the poorest Sicily and the denunciation of mafia activity, misery, and environmental degradation, a consequence of moral and civil drift.

"This exhibition, composed of images from theLetizia Battaglia Archive in Palermo and selected by their curators Marta and Matteo Sollima, grandchildren of the photographer, represents a valuable opportunity to get to know the artist Battaglia, popularize her work and celebrate her in our territory one year after her death," comments Alessia Venditti, author with Andrea Laudisa of the texts accompanying the exhibition. "Battaglia is recognized as one of the greatest interpreters of the twentieth century, and photography, a full-time vocation, was the tool with which she revealed the stark reality of the Mafia, cronyism and poverty; her portraits are also famous, among which the series of photographs taken of Pasolini at the Circolo Turati in Milan stands out. The Tranese exhibition and the photos selected for it, which cover the production period from 1972 to 2003, aim to reveal to the public Letizia Battaglia’s understanding of photography as a weapon of rebellion and mission. The exhibition is complemented by the screening of Francesco Raganato’s documentary film Bitter Love (2012), which can be viewed during the enjoyment of the exhibition."

At the press preview of the exhibition, with admission by invitation only, on Thursday, March 30 at 6:30 p.m., Alessia Venditti will present the photographer’s work by introducing the exhibition project conceived with Marta and Matteo Sollima, curators of the Palermo archive. Niki Battaglia, director of the Beltrani Palace of Arts, and the mayor of the city of Trani, Amedeo Bottaro, will speak.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets: Full 8 euros, reduced 5 euros. The entrance fee includes a visit to the entire Museum Complex and the “Ivo Scaringi” Art Gallery collections.

For info call 0883/500044 or write to info@palazzodelleartibeltrani.it

Image: Letizia Battaglia photographed by Francesco Raganato during the filming of the movie Amore Amaro (2012). Courtesy of Andrea Patierno.

Trani dedicates a monograph to Letizia Battaglia, one year after her death

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