Museo Sartorio - Sala Costantinides (google maps)
Largo Papa Giovanni XXIII, 1, 34123 Trieste TSo
Saturday, October 25th
9:30 am - 4.00 pm
On Saturday, October 25, 2025, the international festival Trieste Photo Days will host three exclusive photography masterclasses led by outstanding lecturers and special guests of the festival: Gianpaolo Arena, Paolo Verzone, Claudia Colecchia & Denis Curti. A unique opportunity to gain insights, lessons, and anecdotes from four great photography professionals.
Simultaneous interpretation Italian/English and English/Italian available.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE -> details below
Gianpaolo Arena, Back to the Future
The photographer is the contemporary being par excellence; through his eyes, the now becomes the past. — Berenice Abbott
Time changes what we remember. Teetering between imagination and reality, our minds blur the outlines and misremember the details.
By preserving historical memory, photography stands as a witness to time and place.
An artistic and cultural journey that begins with the author's main visual influences and leads to his recent research projects on human-altered landscapes and the sustainability of contemporary cities. From the initial spark to in-depth thematic research, from the first “emotional jolt” to the development of the final concept.
Paolo Verzone, The Speed of Light
In this masterclass, Paolo Verzone will take us on a journey through forty years of photography, recounting his personal path as a photographer from his beginnings at the age of 18 up until today.
Verzone will guide us through the key stages of his career. From the use of analog cameras, which shaped his eye and visual sensibility, to his most recent projects, including the current commissioned work. The audience will discover how the author's photographic language has evolved over time. Yet, one element has always remained constant: light.
Indeed, light will be the common thread of this talk/journey, not just as a technical tool, but as a true expressive element and poetic guide for his work.
Denis Curti & Claudia Colecchia, Behind the Shot: Photographic Archiving and Collecting
Photography is not just a creative act – it is a treasure to preserve and enhance.
How should we archive analogue photographic material? What should we pay attention to when handling a positive print on paper or a glass plate? What are the ideal conditions for preserving vintage photographs? How and where should digital images be stored to prevent their loss? And what information needs to be preserved?
What is photography's position in the art market? What are the criteria for estimating and evaluating a photographic work? What are the rules of the game in the world of image collecting? Collecting is a role-playing game with well-defined rules and equally precise reference markets, spaces into which photography has entered with great power of attraction, expansion, and growth.
In a world where we produce thousands of images every day, knowing how to archive, preserve, and enhance photographs is an essential skill for every photographer, artist, or enthusiast.
This masterclass, lasting approximately 2 hours (or 1.5 hours?), is designed for both professionals and amateurs. It provides a practical overview of how to manage your photographic archive (both digital and physical), understand the value of historical images, and approach photographic collecting with awareness and confidence.
Through examples, practical guidance, and essential tools, you’ll learn how to safeguard your photographs so they don’t get lost but instead become part of a lasting and meaningful visual heritage to be cherished.
Masterclass Program
Saturday 25th October at Sartorio Museum - Sala Costantinides. Largo Papa Giovanni XXIII, 1, 34123 Trieste TS (google maps)
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Exhibit Around APS (2025) membership is required to take part in masterclasses.
Registration
- Go to my.dotlogic.net and log in (or create an account).
- Click Events in the top menu.
- Choose the event you want to participate in.
- Select “Masterclass TPD 2025 - Saturday, October 25”.
- If you don’t already have the membership subscription, go-to your profile settings and select "BECOME A MEMBER" to be able to participate in the Masterclasses.
- After membership, complete payment to masterclass event to confirm your spot (you’ll receive a confirmation email).
Exclusive for Members
30 € + Exhibit Around 2025 membership (20 €)
Note: If you already hold the 2025 Exhibit Around membership, you don’t need to purchase it again.
Attention! Available spots are limited: if you’re interested, sign up now!
THE HOSTS
Paolo Verzone (Agence VU’)
An internationally renowned photographer active for over thirty years, he lives in Barcelona and undertakes long-term projects on identity, culture, and the environment. Among his most famous works are "Seeuropeans," "Moscow Project," and the series on European military academy cadets published by La Martinière. Since 2009, he has documented the Arctic, addressing scientific and environmental themes. His photos have appeared in National Geographic, Le Monde, Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stone. He has won three World Press Photo awards, the Picture of the Year International 2023, and his works are held in prestigious collections such as those of the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. A Canon Ambassador since 2017 and National Geographic Explorer since 2024, he combines visual storytelling with cultural commitment in impactful projects.
Gianpaolo Arena
Curator and photographer, he develops research projects on environmental, documentary, and social issues. Since 2010, he has been the curator of the international photography magazine "Landscape Stories. Since 2013, he has been co-founder of the CALAMITA/À project. He has written texts for monographs, catalogues, and exhibitions, including Carlos Casas: Vespers & Madrigals; Raimond Wouda, Céline Clanet, Jan Stradtmann: 1 km; Massimo Siragusa: Teatro d’Italia; Joël Tettamanti: Past, Present and Future; Karen Knorr & Olivier Richon, and Andreas Weinand: Youth Codes. His work has been exhibited in national institutions (Museo M9, Mestre/Triennale di Milano/MACRO - Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome) and international ones (X Architecture Biennale of São Paulo, Brazil, with Latitude Platform studio). In 2020, he curated the MH ART PROJECT, a residency for international artists in various sites in the Champagne/Cognac regions (France) in collaboration with Barbarito Bancel Architectes/LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Recent publications: La valle tra le cime e le stelle (Quodlibet, 2021), A Folktale From Vietnam: Speeding Motorcycles and Roasted Lemongrass (The Velvet Cell, 2021), CALAMITA/À. An investigation into the Vajont catastrophe (Fw:Books, 2024), lligams (Quodlibet, 2025).
Denis Curti
A curator, critic, and a leading figure in the Italian photographic scene, he is the artistic director of Le Stanze della Fotografia in Venice, the Capri Festival, the Ghergo Award in Montefano, and the Deloitte PhotoGrant. He is the photography reference for Marsilio Editori, founder and director of the STILL gallery in Milan, and of the online publication Black Camera. From 2018 to 2022, he directed the monthly magazine IL FOTOGRAFO, after nearly a decade leading the Milan office of the Contrasto agency and serving as vice-president of the Forma per la Fotografia Foundation. He has curated projects for companies such as Altagamma, American Express, Tiffany, Ernst & Young, and has organized exhibitions dedicated to master photographers like Elliott Erwitt, Gianni Berengo Gardin, Franco Fontana, Sebastião Salgado, Helmut Newton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, among others, also collaborating with agencies like Magnum Photos. In the 90s and 2000s, he was the artistic director of the Turin International Photography Biennial and for over 15 years wrote about photography for Vivimilano and Corriere della Sera. An expert in photographic collecting, he curated the first photographic auctions at Sotheby's in Milan (2002–2003) and directed the Italian Foundation for Photography (1995–2002). He is the author of numerous essays, including Collezionare fotografia (Contrasto), Capire la fotografia contemporanea, Il mosaico del mondo (biography of Maurizio Galimberti, Marsilio), and Le cento fotografie che sconvolsero il mondo (24 Ore Edizioni).
Claudia Colecchia
Head of the Photographic Archive and Library of the Civic Museums of History and Art of the Municipality of Trieste, where she is responsible for the conservation and enhancement of the heritage and curates exhibitions and publications dedicated to historical and contemporary photography. Graduated in History from Ca' Foscari University of Venice, she holds a diploma in Archival Science, Paleography, and Diplomatics from the State Archive School of Venice. She has deepened her studies in archival, photographic, and library science, and has worked at Ca' Foscari and IUAV Universities in Venice, the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste, and the Superintendency of Artistic Heritage of Friuli Venezia Giulia. She is a board member of the Rete Fotografia association.
