Alternative Horizons
February 28 – March 29, 2025
Fondazione Luciana Matalon
Free admission
What remains of the image of a place when the gloss of mass tourism fades away? What face does nature assume when we observe it without the rush of selfies and souvenirs? With his new solo exhibition, Gianmarco Taietti invites us to reflect on these questions, guiding us through a visual journey that dissolves stereotypes and restores dignity to both humans and landscapes, through silence and dissonance.
Twenty-three black-and-white photographs will find their home in the central hall of the Luciana Matalon Foundation from February 28 to March 29. This is not a mere reportage but a carefully crafted montage in which each image stands as an autonomous, dissonant voice that nonetheless interacts with the others to create a layered and complex narrative. Seven sovereign countries, seven fragments of a journey that crosses the remote corners of Sardinia and the rugged landscapes of the Aosta Valley, slides through the historical scars of Sarajevo and Mostar, explores the ancestral folklore of Maramureş in Romania, dives into the contrasts of Bangkok and the hidden corners of Krabi, navigates the layered frenzy of Istanbul, and finally reaches the tranquility of Bali and the forests of Sarawak in Malaysia.
Taietti does not seek postcard beauty but rather the truth of the moment. He captures details that escape the distracted eye: a fading water reflection, a face marked by time, a landscape enduring despite modernity.
Black-and-white is not a stylistic choice but a manifesto: stripping away color and the superfluous, leaving only the essence. It’s a photography style that recalls Thoreau’s words in Walden, an invitation to rediscover nature—and ourselves—through simplicity and authenticity. Each shot is a resting point along a journey without fixed destinations. Sarajevo is the silence of ruins and the sound of rebirth; Thailand is not just golden temples but also vibrant, bustling markets; Bali is more than its exotic myth, it is the land breathing under bare feet. Photography becomes a visual meditation, like a long breath that reminds us that to truly understand a place—and perhaps ourselves—we must stop, observe, and listen.
At the heart of this exhibition lies the tension between nature and humanity. But unlike the apocalyptic narratives that often dominate contemporary discourse, Taietti offers a more nuanced vision: there is conflict, yes, but also the potential for coexistence. Landscapes and cities are not mere backdrops but protagonists engaging in dialogue with humanity—sometimes harmonious, sometimes fractured. In this journey through places and voices, there is no room for clichés. The photographer deftly dismantles the rhetoric of perfect destinations and constructs a new visual grammar.
BIO
Gianmarco Taietti was born in Milan in 1971 and graduated in painting from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. During his university years, he became fascinated with the darkroom and developed a passion for photography.
In June 2019, he collaborated as an assistant to Livio Moiana for a series of portraits, also capturing backstage photographs. That same month, during the exhibition A mano a mano at the Floriano Bodini Civic Museum in Gemonio, he exhibited a series of photographs documenting Samuele Arcangioli’s project paying homage to Lamento sull’ucciso, a sculptural group from 1961 located in the museum’s courtyard.
In September of the same year, the Luciana Matalon Foundation hosted his solo exhibition titled Dignity, a photographic narrative focusing on humans in their working environments.
In 2022, again at the Luciana Matalon Foundation, he presented a show titled Incontri a Lula – Adzovios a Luvula, which brought together his photographs and those of his father, Nello Taietti, taken in Lula, in Sardinia’s rugged Barbagia region.
Versatile and creative, Gianmarco Taietti also successfully applies his talent in the fields of graphic design and communication.
Info and Contacts
Luciana Matalon Foundation
+39 02 878781
[email protected]
www.fondazionematalon.org
Opening Hours
February 28 – March 29, 2025
10:00 – 13:00 | 14:00 – 19:00
Free admission
