salvatore vitale portfolio 2015–2016
TRANSCRIPT
SALVATORE VITALE
Portfolio2015–2016
Salvatore Vitale is a Swiss based photographer born and raised in Palermo, Italy. During his studies in Communication Science he started to develop his interest in photography. During the years he worked as editorial photographer moved by the wish to keep on his research on the photography media and the way it is related to human environment. In 2012 he has been nominated to Reflexions Masterclass by Giorgia Fiorio and Gabriel Bauret. During these years his research moved into a more documentary approach and, in particular, in how several approaches to pho-tography can be used to enhance storytelling. In 2014 he attended The International Center of Photography – ICP’s class with Allen Frame. In 2014 he has been selected for the ISSP International Masterclass by Andrei Polikanov and Yuri Kozyrev. In 2015 he has been awarded with Die Besten 2014 at Swiss Photo Awards.In 2015 he is on the recipient of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia’s grant for his long term research on the production of security in Switzerland.His work has been featured and published worldwide.He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of YET magazine, a triannual Swiss photography magazine which showcases works by both emerging and estabili-shed photographers as well as in-depth content focusing on the evolution of photography with a particular eye on the contemporary field. He is giving lectures and talks about his work.
SHORT BIO
THE MOONWAS BROKEN
2014 - 2016
I was 5 years old when for the first time in my life I felt the strong feeling of missing something. Going back in time, there’s a clear sym-bol which reminds me of that feeling. That night I was at a fun fair with my family, we were going back home when I saw the moon covered by some dark clouds. I started to cry, the moon was broken to my child eyes. I can remember exactly that feeling of something that was going to happen. A couple of weeks after my father had a car accident. I will never forget that period, the hospital. Nobody knows how he’s still alive. I’ve always been very close to ma father, we shared a lot of pas-sions, we spent a lot of time together and I guess that a large part of my relationship with him was signed by the fear of loosing him.During the years our relationship started to be more complex. He’s a typical Sicilian man, no emotions, no feelings, no words. It’s very hard to understand what he’s thinking or how he feels. And, to be honest, I took a lot after him. I left home at the age of 18, since then our commu-nication started to be very poor, we never see each other but a couple of weeks per year.But, some months ago, I felt the same feeling carried by the broken moon and I discovered that my father is experiencing serious health problems. He never talks about it, he never tells how he feels. So I decided to talk with him in order to understand what brought us to this point. It has been a complex discussion where a lot of feelings, memories, explenations, regrets came out. This story talks about me and my identity. But does it playing with my memory, my imaginary connected to what is real. All the symbols, the places and the subjects plays like an attempt to recover something that is missing. It is a collection of different mind’ states, a vision of what is my story and my identity today. It’s never easy entering such a per-sonal topic, it’s not easy to tell someone to clarify a situation which stands still for years. But in doing it, in remembering what has been and what it could be, it’s possible to find kind of a new beginning. Through this work something is changing in my life and in the relation-ship with my father.
Artist’ short statement Installation shootSwiss Photo Award 2015
Zürich, Switzerland
TOPOGRAPHYOF A GLACIER
2013 - 2014
Scientists have been monitoring the state of the glaciers since 1869. Between 1850 and 1970 alpine glaciers lost at least one third of their surface area and about half their density. When glaciers melt, the outflow of water does not necessarily increase gradually. It is usually dammed by boulders for a certain time, until it breaks through with great destructive force onto the valley below.
I’ve been to Gries Glacier, Ulrichen (CH), which is one of the most im-portant, but at the same time at risk, glacier of Switzerland.Griesgletscher is a temperate valley glacier located in the central Swiss Alps. The glacier covers an area of 5.26 km2 flowing in north-e-ast direction from 3374 m a.s.l. down to 2409 m a.s.l. Mass balance measurements started in 1961 in connection with the construction of a reservoir for hydro-power production.
According to the data of the preliminary glacier mass balance 2011/2012 supplied by the World Glacier Monitoring Service, Gries Gla-cier lost -2400 points in annual mass balance (mm w.e.).
I started from a data analysis conducted by the Swiss Glacier Monito-ring Network to see the map of the glacier and its relative changement in the length variation from 1961 and 2011. It’s interesting the word used to call the part of a glacier that goes under a certain mass. They are called “dead”.All the pictures shown here are taken to the new entrance of the gla-cier, in the “dead” part of it. Looking at the map, 50 years ago, this would have been completely covered by the ice.
This is the beginning of a project that aims to explore the powerful na-ture of a living creature in constant evolution. I want to show how such a powerful creature can be so fragile. In those pictures you can see their magnificence, but at the same time all their fragility.
Artist’ short statement Tear sheetGlacierHub, Columbia University
New York, 2014
YET MAGAZINE
2012 - Present
YET magazine is a triannual photography publication which showcases editorials and photographic series from artists worldwide. Our aim is to feature several different styles of photography, without any restriction in genre, medium, or theme. We showcase both emerging and estabili-shed international photographers – our work is basically characterized by the quality of the submitted project, from its concept to the shoot, up to the final editing. Since it has been produced and managed by people operating in the photographic sector, YET wants to show “the image” from other perspectives, starting from the photography itself.
The whole working process in YET magazine is based on the firm con-viction that a photographer’s work must be shown as it is: for this reason, all the photographic projects are published without any graphic or text insertions, not cut down and free from any form of further editing. Each selection is curated in collaboration with the guest artist. Along with the photographic series, we also publish reviews, in-depth articles and interviews with the key players of the sector, with the aim of giving an updated look on the international con-temporary photographic field.
Editor-in-chief & FounderSalvatore Vitale
Deputy EditorPaola Paleari
Art directorNicolas Polli
Photo EditorsSalvatore VitaleElena Vaninetti
Graphic designerNicolas Polli
Web designerLeonardo Angelucci
Sales ManagerDavide Morotti
Team coordinatorGiulia Giani
TranslationsZoe CasatiElda Cassetta
About Editorial staff
Issue 07
December, 2014
Issue 08
May, 2015
ARCHIVE 01—09
Nov, 2015
Selected exhibitions
2016 – #memory_archive, PhotoBookMelbourne, Melbourne, AU2015 – Current Obsession, Webber Represents, London, UK2015 – The Moon Was Broken, Lugano, CH2015 – AI Award, Braga, PT2015 – EWZ Selection - Swiss Photo Awards, Zurich, CH2015 – THE SMELL OF DUST, Arles, FR2015 – THE SMELL OF DUST, Berlin, DE 2015 – THE SMELL OF DUST, Sao Paulo, BR2014 – Cani Scelti, Sonnenstube, Lugano, CH2013 – DUST, ArteFiera, Bologna, IT2013 – Identità, Ego gallery, Lugano, CH
Selected talks, lectures, activities
2016 – Plat(t)form, Fotomuseum Winterthur, CH2015 – Les Rencontres d’Arles, Arles, FR 2015 – fotopub Festival, Novo Mesto, SLO2015 – Journée Photographiques de Bienne, CH2015 – La Nuit des Images, Lausanne, CH2015 – Le Bal, Paris, FR2015 – METRONOM gallery, Modena, IT2015 – ISOLAB, Venice, IT2014 – Le Photobookclub, Paris Photo, Paris, FR2014 – Micamera, Milano, IT2014 – Lugano Photo Days Festival, Lugano, CH2014 – Fotoleggendo Festival, Rome, IT2014 – La Nuit des Images, Lausanne, CH2013 – Torna, Istanbul, TR2013 – Torun, Ankara, TR
Features and Info
Selected publications and features
NME, ANSA.it, DUST, WU Magazine, Zwölf, CdT, SYN, YET magazine, RockIT, LaC, City of Lugano, VICE, Plateform, Bentrovato, FILTER, DU magazine, KALTBLUT, Vogue Italia, La Regione, Corriere della Sera, Artribune, Der Greif Magazine, Columbia University 2015 – Member of Impressum, professional association of Swiss journalists.
2015 – Recipient of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia’s grant.
↘ Salvatore VitaleCanton di Fumasoli 3CH-6965 Cadro - SwitzerlandT. +41 78 838 25 17E. [email protected]. www.salvatore-vitale.com