Letizia Battaglia

Diario - Letizia Battaglia

Claudio Fava

Giovanna Calvenzi

Since the 1970s Letizia Battaglia has been documenting life in her native Sicily Siciliana narrates a less familiar, more dramatic Sicily: portraits of people, often of little girls, moments of life, flashes of irony. What is striking is the conflict between acceptance and outrage. Groups of onlookers, stoical and beyond shock, have seen it all before. Mourners wracked by sobs seem to be playing out a tragedy that defines every chapter of their lives. But Battaglia refuses to accept this reality. Her lens moves in too close for comfort, capturing a moment that is not meant to be seen, a scene that perhaps will be set back in order, hurriedly, as soon as possible. Some of the pictures have never been published before, including those in which Battaglia presents a series of nudes standing in front of blow-ups of her historic images.

siciliana

passione, giustizia, libertà : fotografie dalla Sicilia

Melissa Harris

Alexander Stille

Roberto Scarpinato

Renate Siebert

Simona Mafai

Leoluca Orlando

Letizia Battaglia s story, her unique vision of Sicily, and her fight for justice against the Mafia as revealed in this biographical monograph are as stunning as they are heroic."

Passion, Justice, Freedom--Photographs of Sicily

Mario Puzo may have written the book and Coppola may have made the film about mafia, but only Letizia Battaglia told the real story; the plain, harsh story. Letizia Battaglia (Palermo, 1935) is a Sicilian photographer and photojournalist. Although her photos document a wide spectrum of Sicilian life, she is best known for her work on the Mafia. This is an anthology of Letizia Battaglia's extraordinary photographic work, from 1971 to 2016. A large selection of her iconic black and white images are published here, showing viewers one of post-war Italy's darkest periods.

Anthology

One woman's passionate battle for justice. Letizia Battaglia's story, her vision of Sicily, and her fight for justice against the Mafia as revealed in this biographical monograph is as stunning as it is heroic. This W. Eugene Smith Award-winning photographer demonstrates photography's power to serve as both a weapon and a voice for the silent majority. After years of fighting for the life of her troubled city of Palermo-as a photographer, deputy councilwoman, ecological activist, defender of women's rights, and defender of human rights-Battaglia continues the battle with the fierce passion, intelligence, and vision for which she is known. Letizia Battaglia: Passion, Justice, Freedom juxtaposes iconic pictures of the everyday joy, suffering, and vitality of the Palermitani with images showing the effects of the Mafia predators who have controlled much of the city for so long. Along with an intimate profile of the photographer by Melissa Harris, Alexander Stille chronicles Battaglia's fight against the Mafia, putting her photographs in the context of Palermo in the 1980s and '90s. Renate Siebert addresses the heretofore unexplored role of women and the Mafia in her essay. Magazine editor Simona Mafei contributes an essay about her work with Battaglia.

Photographs of Sicily

Passion, Justice, Freedom

Drago is delighted to feature Letizia Battaglia for the second time following the success of her Anthology. The Sicilian photographer s new book, Just For Passion, catalogues her exhibition at Rome s MAXXI National Museum of the 21st Century Arts. The book explores the incredible scope and character of Letizia Battaglia s work. With over one hundred photographs including previously unpublished works, the collection captures an intimate insight into the ambivalence of Italian life, from harrowing images of the Mafia to beautiful portraits of the women and children of Palermo. In a recent interview with The Daily Beast, Battaglia explained that through the duality of her work, she aimed to to denounce corruption and to exalt beauty. Contributors include the Dean of the International Centre of Photography in New York, Fred Ritchin; curator, Paolo Falcone; journalist, Attilio Bolzoni; photography critic, Giovanna Calvenzi; the Mayor of Palermo, Leoluca Orlando; Palermo s Anti-Mafia Magistrate, Franca Imbergamo; the President of the MAXXI Museum, Giovanna Melandri and the Museum s Director of Architecture, Margherita Guccione."

Letizia Battaglia

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