It’s been quite a while since my last post in 2024.
So, where did we leave off?

I wanted to take a moment to share some updates about what I’ve been working on over the past year. It has been a very intense period, full of projects, ideas, and new steps in my photographic journey.

First of all, I have been working — and continue to work — on a project about my parents titled "Let The Flowers Dry". This is a project that is very close to my heart. It reflects on memory, on how we preserve it, and how we keep our memories alive.

The starting point comes from something very personal: my mother’s hobby of collecting and preserving dried flowers. I used this gesture as a narrative device to explore how we try to safeguard the memory of the people we love, and how fragile and precious those memories can be.

Alongside this project, I have also been developing another body of work titled "The Enclave of Nouera". This project will become a book, to be published in November 2026 by Yogurt Editions.

The work revolves around an imaginary state called Nouera. As the name suggests, it derives from the word “nowhere”, but it becomes a conceptual space where I explore ideas of localism, identity, and belonging. Through this fictional territory, I reflect on how important it is for all of us to continue searching for our own personal Nowhere’s land.(pssss..you can have a quick preview here... www.nouera.org )

During this period I also began working as a curator, helping another photographer develop a photobook project with a science-fiction theme. It has been an interesting shift in perspective, allowing me to contribute to someone else’s visual narrative.

Finally, I am currently preparing my participation in the Rotterdam Photo Festival, which will take place from March 25 to March 29 this year. The festival’s theme is "Echoes of Silence". You can know more here https://www.rotterdamphoto.eu/

As you can see, a lot has happened.

What else will 2026 bring?
I’m sure many more things are on the horizon.

I’ll keep you posted.

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It's difficult to concentrate in very few lines the mix of emotions coming from seeing my last photo book H.M. showcased in Arles for the LUMA Dummy Book Award.
Thank you for all passing by, giving me feedback, showing interest and opening doors to new collaborations. It has been a real honor being selected among 200 books coming from all over the world.
This is just one of the never ending beginnings, a segway to keep exploring, learning and improving in this beautiful journey.
Ciao Arles, grazie di tutto!

p.s. a special thanks goes to Massimo Mastrorillo and David Mozzetta who have helped me on the editing and design phase.

Ciao, una bella notizia : ho ricevuto un riconoscimento per il lavoro "Andrea su questo pianeta". Gold medal al Budapest International Foto Awards nella categoria People, non professional photographers. Bene!
www.alessandromazzola.net

- EN -

Hey there! Happy to share I got a Gold medal award at Budapest International Foto Awards, People category, non professional photographers. Good news
www.alessandromazzola.net

Il mio lavoro su Chiaravalle ha ottenuto un altro piccolo riconoscimento.
Honorable mention nella categoria "People" del concorso ND Awards 2020.
https://ndawards.net/.../non-professional/other/hm/14141/
Date un'occhiata ai vincitori e ai vari lavori in gara, ci sono delle foto molto buone.
- EN -
My project on Chiaravalle Abbey has been rewarded with an Honorable mention recognition. Just a small award
https://ndawards.net/.../non-professional/other/hm/14141/
Pls have a look to winners and participants' work, you'll find very good pictures.

On September 26th, 2020 I have been in Savignano sul Rubicone to attend SIFEST, a well known photographic festival.
I crossed a small Gallery where there was an exhibition of Marco Pesaresi. Up to that moment I had very few information about this famous author. I started looking at photographies and I wanted to know more about him.
Eventually I asked a hostess to help me on this and I requested a leaflet or any statement to get an overview about his biography.
Hostess smiled and she told me I couldn't have been luckier than this because just next to me there was his mother: Isabella Perazzini.
I learned about Marco's life through Isa's words: his passion for the human nature he wanted to capture through his journeys. She showed me his work "Underground" where he spent months underneath the ground to capture homeless, lovers, travelers and any possible face of the humanity he wanted to explore. We spent some time in commenting Rimini shots, the native land of Marco. He captured the flavor of Rimini's nights and the feelings and atmosphere of the city also through the emotional lenses of his tormented nature.
I have been really impressed by his work on Trans - Siberian express that immediately recalled me Destinazione Mare (check it out > HERE At the time he was travelling he kept a diary where he wrote:

"I do not want to spend time in reading, knowing..I want to deep dive in my journey. I must be clever while taking picture. I need to focus my efforts without spreading them"

These words reminds me the way I am used to approach any single project where I am deeply involved in and this gives me, once more, the belief I have not been there, with Isa, by chance.

Time passed by very fast. Isa was moving from a shot to another recalling memories, Marco's words, anecdotes. Before leaving the gallery I have asked Isa to leave me with an inscription on a Marco's book.
I have been touched by the dedication that can be seen as one possible metaphor of our life and on our photographic journey:

"Not all ones who are wandering have lost themselves"


To know more about Marco Pesaresi
https://www.sifest.it/it/marco-pesaresi/il-fotografo.html
http://www.pangea.news/marco-pesaresi-ritratto/

I have always thought every single event is linked to the one just coming before and those ones immediately following. A kind of chain of events where you can catch the true meaning only when you try to connect all the dots.
Especially with Photography. I start running a project and eventually I discover some technique, places, people that bring me to something (or somewhere) else in a continuum where I keep learning and feeling realized.
Why do I tell you this story?
First of all because it is something I truly believe and I encourage you all to keep walking in Photography, study and learn and, eventually, all dots will be connected and you will find your own way.
Furthermore I take the opportunity to tell you a real life example of what I am just saying:
I have a subscription to a photography magazine called "Gente di Fotografia". I really like it and I subscribe largely in advance the forthcoming issue for the following year. 1 year ago I went to Mia Photo Fair (a Milan based fair of contemporary photography) and, as usual, I do my subscription to that magazine. It happens to me I meet a lady, lately I would have discovered her name was Antonella Monzoni, member of the editorial board of the magazine. We start chatting and I get my own magazine. One year after I am in Parma to attend Colornophotolife a photofestival based in Colorno, close to Parma. I was there with Marylena and we both are strongly attracted from a photographic book named "Madame". Within the book there are so many "dots" part of our common life, the reason why we are both connected to those pictures: a story of a French woman (Henriette Niépce), strongly charming, getting immediately the attention of Mary, being her half French and in love with those atmospheres. There is also a nice link between the origin of the Photography (Henriette Niépce is the great grandaughter of Niecephore Niéce, one of the founding fathers of the Photography). But there is also a nice reportage of a beautiful house on the countryside, like the one we are looking for and willing to buy to change our life. After having paid the book, the author comes to the shopping point and, guess what, she is Antonella, the lady of Gente di Fotografia I just mentioned before.
As usual I ask her to sign the book, as I am always doing it with any author I meet along the path. I also ask her a kind of advice, as am I used to do with any photographer and I discover she started her career in photography quite late in her life (approx when I started) and she is specifically focused on humanistic reportage, expressing through an intimist style. She is expressing what I am try to, she started late as I did and she has a received several recognition you can find, jointly wih her works, in this website.
http://antonellamonzoni.it/home
"Ferita Armena", "Madame", "Volevo essere Mina", "Il matrimonio di Luba, Ucraina", "Lalibela" are just some of the work I strongly encourage you to have a look as I also strong encourage you to look backward, follow your dots and build your own world in Photography or anywhere else.

Hi! Nice to share with you I have been selected to attend "Festival della Fotografia Etica" within the OFF section to present "Andrea su questo pianeta".
I am sure all of you know the story very well..but let me just give you a quick refresh:
"Andrea su questo pianeta" is the story on Andrea, my nephew, who I spent several months with, telling about his life, his habits, what he likes.
Andrea has a kind of disease within the autistic spectrum but he is also a guy that is able to teach you as a "Petit Prince" could do.
He is on this Planet to show you how easy things can play an important role on our own life. Sometimes we are in hurry and we do not even take care of what we love the most. We do not stop by thinking about essential things in our day-by-day.
Andrea is on this Planet for this specific purpose!
You will find this photographic exhibition from October, 5th to October, 27th to Teatro delle Vigne, Via Cavour 66, Lodi (MI).
I wish to find you all there. It will also be the opportunity to buy the photographic book that will help to give a donation to Cascina Biblioteca, Cooperativa Sociale", a special community taking care of Andrea and other guys and ladies as him.
So please join, come to visit and do not forget:
"L'essenziale è invisibile agli occhi"
Ciao!

I am very happy my work "Della Regola della Luce" has been selected as one of the best photographic book within the contest "Crediamo ai tuoi occhi" organized by Centro Italiano della Fotografia d'Autore (CIFA).
http://www.centrofotografia.org/informations/attivita/206
This recognition is important for me after more than a year spent with the community of Chiaravalle Abbey where I have had the opportunity and the privilege of documenting a particular kind of research.
Exhibition and celebration will be held on September 21, 2019 at 6.30pm in Teatro Dovizi based in Bibbiena (AR).
I will be obviously there and you are all more than welcome to join!
Ciao

more
Crediamo_ai_tuoi_occhi___Verbale_di_giuria_2019.pdf (221.92 KB)

Few days ago I went to Micamera to assist to a book-signing event. Aaron Schuman was presenting his last piece of work named "slant".
As soon as arrived we immediately went downstairs in the cellar of the shop. Several rows of chair, a bit of humidity and a slide projector were waiting for us.
Aaron started a authentic lesson of "how to build a photography project". Indeed he told us about his childhood, growing up in a small village of Massachussets, Amherst, before moving to England where he currently lives and work.
He told us a story I want to share with you since I think it's an inspiring input on how to translate something catching your attention into a photography project.
Aaron showed us some abstracts of a local newspaper of Amherst where you can find, on the very last pages, police announcements reporting strange or dangerous event happening in the small village. Those articles are very funny and, at the same time, cold-hearted reports, aseptic chronicles where policemen are literally quoting strange events reported from Amherst citizen:

"SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY
2.48am an Ann Whalen Apartments resident awoke to find someone on her balcony looking into her bedroom. The woman later told police she thinks she may have been dreaming prior to calling 911"

Aaron decided to collect those articles. He also involved his parents, still leaving in Amherst, to send him, on a regular basis, those cuttings of newspaper.
At the beginning he was curios and fascinated about the way people are reporting facts, what's beneath the apparent stillness of a boring village. He thought how to translate those pieces of paper into a photography story. So he decided to start a deep research on photographers used to combine text with photos. He found several approach to it: from the journalistic reportage of Weegee to something more poetic such as Alec Soth is his book of 2015, Gathered Leaves.
And here it comes the first important takeout to be kept in mind: no matter what you are photographing you should always study and learn from others. In each and every photo you take you put all your books, film and music you encountered along your life.
Now back to the story I want to tell...
He then explained us the role of text: either to describe the image or a poem to juxtapose to the picture, reinforcing each other. Eventually he decided to follow the path of images where the subject is not exactly matching with the text but, on a certain extent, those images are evoking a possibility, a different view, sometimes a surreal representation of the article reported. This decision has not been take by chance or simply because it was nice to put it like this. This decision has its roots, again, in the childhood of Aaron. Indeed this small village where he grew up is the same place where Emily Dickinson born in 1830. Emily Dickinson, one of the most spokesperson of modern lyric poetry, was famous for her own style made of asymmetric rhymes, emphatic digressions, use of capital letters, a distinctive sign of her work. And here it comes the link and the decision. Rhymes of Emily are named "slant" exactly because those verses are not perfectly sounding each other but there is something dystonic.
So that's the reason why of the name of the book.
I have been very impressed on how Aaron has been able to tell us a story about his origins, his childhood, the place where he grew up through the architecture of this photo + text project.

I spent before leaving few minutes with him chatting a bit about his view of photography. He gave me his advice on how to carry on my passion (one day I could make a story around all the inscriptions I am collecting on photography books...).

Before leaving I wanna share with you a short abstract of an interview done by Aaron to Alec Soth. I found it very appropriate on the way I live photography and about the way this book has been made:

"I long for stories.
They satisfy.
Novels and movies satisfy,
but photographs often leave me
feel like something is missing
I'm trying to work on this"



https://www.aaronschuman.com/
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Dickinson

T H A N K Y O U !!
Yesterday we have had our exhibition in Milan where I presented my work "Addormentati in fretta che io ti aspetto", a intimate research of my grandmother memories presented through a 35mm slides projection and an installation of objects and old pictures coming directly from the garret of my grandmother in Garessio (CN), a place where half of my origins come from.
It's always emotional when a project come to an end. Ideas become reality, they turn in physical prints, installations and everything gets a dreaming atmosphere.
Everything has been possible thanks to our "muse" Silvia Bigi and our team of friends and photographers: Antonio, Matteo, Simona and Massimo, Margherita and Nicolò forming the Collettivo Milano (jointly with me.
Friends, curious, people passionate about Photography-
A deep thank you goes also to Punto Foto Group that allowed me to convert my digital files into 35mm slides, a unique service in Milan. I strongly recommend to all of you ().
Now it is time to think about future projects...Jonines is almost one month to come..
The picture I like the most?
The next one I am going to take..
Ciao
A