In prima linea. Donne fotoreporter in luoghi di guerra On the Front Line. Women Photojournalists in War Zones

Press preview: Thursday 6 October, 11 a.m.
Opening: Thursday 6 October, 6 p.m. 
Palazzo Madama - Corte Medievale

Fourteen women, armed only with their cameras, on the front line in hot spots around the world amid wars, conflicts and human and social dramas. With their courage, sensitivity and professionalism, they help us to understand, not to forget, and to stop and think.

Palazzo Madama presents On the Front Line: Women Photojournalists in War Zones. On show from 7 October to 13 November 2016 the exhibition includes 70 pictures taken by 14 young women photojournalists who work for top international publications and who come from a number of different countries: Italy, Egypt, the USA, Croatia, Belgium, France, the UK, and Spain.

Linda Dorigo, Virginie Nguyen Hoang, Jodi Hilton, Andreja Restek, Annabell Van den Berghe, Laurence Geai, Capucine Granier-Deferre, Diana Zeyneb Alhindawi, Matilde Gattoni, Shelly Kittleson, Maysun, Alison Baskerville, Monique Jaques, and Camille Lepage go boldly into the most atrocious and dangerous battlefields to document and denounce the “third world war” that is currently raging in many parts of the world.

Each photographer is showing five photos in the exhibition. Each one is emblematic of their work and of their ability to capture not just an action, but an emotion, using their pictures to illustrate and denounce the violence perpetrated against the weakest, most defenceless populations and individuals.

The 70 photographs on display are notable for the harshness of their content. In colour and black and white, and taken with digital cameras or on film, it is as though they showed what happens when no filters are placed in front of the lens. These press photos are indeed like articles written with the camera. Except for a brief caption indicating the place and time, they have no need of words in order to tell the story of history unfolding.

The brainchild of Andreja Restek, the exhibition – which is curated by journalist Stefanella Campana and Maria Paola Ruffino, curator at Palazzo Madama – is on show in the Medieval Courtyard, with a display installation by the architect Diego Giachello.

The exhibition is promoted jointly by the Associazione Gi.U.Li.A – Giornaliste Unite Libere Autonome and ADCF Onlus, l’Ambulanza dal Cuore Forte.

With this exhibition the Palazzo Madama is continuing to seek out a feminine vision in its exhibitions and events. This was first launched with the hashtag #gopink as a tribute to the Madame Reali, the royal dowagers whose legacy enlightened the cultural life of Turin.

The exhibition is supported by the Assessorato alla Cultura della Regione Piemonte and the Associazione Stampa Subalpina.

Media partner: La Stampa

Under the patronage of: Assessorato alla Cultura della Città di Torino, Ordine Giornalisti del Piemonte, Federazione Nazionale della Stampa Italiana (FNSI), Federazione Italiana Associazioni Fotografiche (FIAF)