The 12th edition of Trieste Photo Days – International Photography Festival came to a close with great success, transforming the city from 23 to 26 October 2025 into a vibrant crossroads of perspectives, languages, and visual cultures. For four days, Trieste welcomed photographers, curators, and enthusiasts from all over the world, confirming its vocation as a capital of contemporary photography.
Among this year’s special guests were Matt Black, Paolo Verzone, Denis Curti, Dario De Dominicis, and Andy Hall, who took part in talks and discussions that further established the festival as an international point of reference.
This year’s edition stood out for its rich exhibition programme: 9 institutional venues – including the Museo d’Arte Orientale, Sala Selva at Palazzo Gopcevich, Sala Sbisà at Magazzino 26, Sala Veruda, ITIS, Central Post Office, and the Galleria d’Arte Comunale – hosted 17 main exhibitions, many of which are still open to the public. These were joined by exhibitions in 26 selected venues of the Fringe section, the festival’s “off” circuit, for a total of over 2,500 photographs on display.
The programme was further enriched by a packed schedule of workshops, masterclasses, portfolio reviews, photowalks, and award ceremonies, offering the public a truly complete and immersive experience in the world of contemporary photography.
The success of the festival was confirmed by the large and enthusiastic turnout, which filled the exhibition spaces and animated every event. With this 12th edition, Trieste Photo Days reaffirms its mission as a bridge between cultures and visions, uniting talent, innovation, and passion in a city that continues to be a creative laboratory open to the world.
The festival opened on Thursday, 23 October, with the presentation of the project Il Cantico delle Creature at the Museo LETS, in the presence of Riccardo Cepach, Antonino Clemenza, and guest photographer Dario De Dominicis. On Friday, 24 October, the festival officially got underway: at 10:00 a.m., the Museo d’Arte Orientale hosted the opening of the festival with the launch of the exhibition India. Two Gazes, One Story, followed by a guided tour with curators Claudia Colecchia and Francesca Avignone, and photographer Sandro Antoniolli.
That same morning, at Palazzo Gopcevich – Sala Selva, four exhibitions opened: Il Cantico delle Creature, Oltre le Parole, Caryatis, and MètàReality, accompanied by guided tours with the authors and curators: Il Cantico delle Creature, featuring the participation of Dario De Dominicis and Antonino Clemenza; Oltre le Parole, a tribute to Giuseppe Ungaretti, featuring Gianpaolo Arena’s photographs paired with selected poems; Caryatis, by George Tatakis, winner of the 8th Musei Civici / URBAN Photo Awards Prize, curated by Claudia Colecchia and Michela Messina; and MètàReality, by Giuliana Di Giulio and Simone Giuntoli, winner of the Trieste Photo Days – Adriano Perini Portfolio Review Prize 2024.
In the afternoon, a guided tour of the exhibition Measured Silence preceded the official presentation of Mythography V, the live semifinals of URBAN Photo Arena, and the award ceremonies for URBAN Animals and Il Cantico delle Creature.
On Saturday, 25 October, the city came alive with events. At the Mercato Coperto, a guided tour of Artisti della Terra del Carso was held with photographers Gianpaolo Arena, Alice Zorzin, Ekaterina Frolova, Filippo Ferraro, and Francesco Aglieri Rinella, who presented their personal projects developed during residencies at local farms.
Throughout the day, visitors also explored Tales of the City by Andy Hall at the Sala Comunale d’Arte, Borders Stories at Sala Fittke, and URBAN Animals at Sala Veruda, accompanied by a guided tour with Dario De Dominicis.
In the evening, the official award ceremony for the 16th URBAN Photo Awards took place at Sala Xenia, along the Trieste waterfront marked one of the highlights of the 12th edition of Trieste Photo Days, in the presence of jurors Matt Black, Paolo Verzone, Denis Curti and Dario De Dominicis. One of the festival’s most anticipated moments, the event celebrated the winners of the Single Photos, Projects & Portfolios, URBAN Book Award, and URBAN Photo Arena (Under-35) categories.
Among the most prestigious recognitions, the TPD Best Author Edilimpianti 2025 went to American photographer Michele Zousmer for her project MIS[S]UNDERSTOOD, exploring the central role of women in the Irish Traveller community. Renowned painter and sculptor Giorgio Celiberti, creator of the trophy sculptures awarded to the winners, also presented the Special Prize for Artistic Sensitivity to Roland Okon, in tribute to an artist who, with delicacy and depth, gave an emotional voice to the image.
The festival’s final day, Sunday, 26 October, offered the public the last meetings with the authors and guided tours of the main exhibitions.
At Sala Luttazzi in Magazzino 26, visitors had the opportunity to engage with two outstanding professionals in the field of photography. Paolo Verzone shared his work dedicated to one of the most fascinating and ambitious ventures of our time: the new space race. Through his photographic lens, he documented the key stages of this journey — from the Artemis mission, which aims to return humankind to the Moon, to the future explorations of Mars. Matt Black, an American photographer and member of Magnum Photos, presented American Geography, his first book — the result of a six-year journey covering over 150,000 kilometers across impoverished and marginalized communities in the United States. The book alternates photographs with excerpts from his travel notebooks, where Black records his route, experiences, encounters, and emotions, offering a deeply personal and visually powerful narrative.
These were followed by tours of Inshallah with photographer Nicolas Brunetti, winner of the The Patricia D. Richards Legacy Award 2025, and Errore Errare with Massimo Stefanutti, president of La Gondola di Venezia. Later, the project Borders Stories was presented by Ekaterina Frolova, winner of The Patricia D. Richards Legacy Award 2024, and Denis Curti, mentor of the Fellowship Programme.
The day concluded with the Project Selection 2025 Awards with Matt Black, the Portfolio Reviews Awards with Denis Curti, and the EA Cup 2025, ending with a celebratory toast.
The Magazzino 26 in Porto Vecchio once again proved to be the beating heart of the festival, while the entire exhibition circuit embraced the city – from Palazzo Gopcevich to the Museum of Oriental Art, from Sala Xenia to Sala Fittke, to the Mercato Coperto and beyond — thanks to Trieste Photo Fringe, which animated venues and urban spaces throughout the month with the best of international urban photography.
All exhibitions remain open in the following days — for details, see the full programme at www.triestephotodays.com/exhibitions.
Trieste Photo Days is organised by dotART – Cultural Association and Exhibit Around APS
General coordination: Stefano Ambroset, founder of Trieste Photo Days
Co-founder of Trieste Photo Days: Roberto Fermo
Art consultant: Vincenzo Labellarte
With support from: Friuli Venezia Giulia Region – Io Sono Friuli Venezia Giulia, and in collaboration with the City of Trieste.
Supported by: Edilimpianti Trieste – Innovation Partner
Le Fondazioni Benefiche Alberto e Kathleen Casali ETS, Cooperativa Lase, InstallPro, Unicusano – Polo di Trieste, Palmanova Village
In collaboration with: Fototeca dei Civici Musei di Storia ed Arte, Museo d’Arte Orientale, Museo Sartorio, la rassegna “Una luce sempre accesa”, Associazione Casa del Cinema di Trieste, La Cappella Underground, Circolo Fotografico La Gondola di Venezia, Biblioteca statale Stelio Crise, PAG – Progetto Area Giovani del Comune di Trieste, MuMeG – Museo Mercato del Gusto, Poste Italiane e Museo postale e telegrafico della Mitteleuropa, AIDIA Trieste, IN/Arch Triveneto, ITIS – Azienda pubblica di Servizi alla Persona, Trieste Airport, CIOFS e tutti i Partner dei progetti originali, GO! 2025.
FRINGE exhibitions partners: 040, Adoro Cafè , Ai Travi , Al Curto, Aqvedotto, Arci Trieste, Bar Le delizie , Brunch Republic, Cadenaro Pasticceria, Caffe Impero, Draw, Hotello, L’Angolo di Rocco, La Preferita, Melograno, Mimì & Cocotte, Nanut , NOVO Foraperfora, Ones Trieste, Pasticceria Liberty, Pier, Puro, Radici, Spaccio Pani, The Modernist, White Cafè.
Media Partner: Il Fotografo, Imagazine, Radio Punto Zero
Digital Camera World, FRAMES, OPENEYE, Pamplemousse Magazine, PHOTO.fr, Street Photography Magazine, The Photographic Journal.
Technical Partner: FlyService.
