SALVATORE VITALE Portfolio 2015–2016

SALVATORE
VITALE
Portfolio
2015–2016
SHORT BIO
Salvatore Vitale is a Swiss based photographer born
and raised in Palermo, Italy. During his studies in
Communication Science he started to develop his
interest in photography. During the years he worked as
editorial photographer moved by the wish to keep on
his research on the photography media and the way it
is related to human environment. In 2012 he has been
nominated to Reflexions Masterclass by Giorgia
Fiorio and Gabriel Bauret. During these years his
research moved into a more documentary approach
and, in particular, in how several approaches to photography can be used to enhance storytelling. In 2014
he attended The International Center of Photography –
ICP’s class with Allen Frame. In 2014 he has been
selected for the ISSP International Masterclass by
Andrei Polikanov and Yuri Kozyrev. In 2015 he has been
awarded with Die Besten 2014 at Swiss Photo Awards.
In 2015 he is on the recipient of the Swiss Arts
Council Pro Helvetia’s grant for his long term research
on the production of security in Switzerland.
His work has been featured and published worldwide.
He is also the founder and editor-in-chief of YET
magazine, a triannual Swiss photography magazine
which showcases works by both emerging and estabilished photographers as well as in-depth content
focusing on the evolution of photography with a
particular eye on the contemporary field.
He is giving lectures and talks about his work.
2014 - 2016
THE MOON
WAS BROKEN
Artist’ short statement
I was 5 years old when for the first time in my life I felt the strong
feeling of missing something. Going back in time, there’s a clear symbol which reminds me of that feeling. That night I was at a fun fair with
my family, we were going back home when I saw the moon covered by
some dark clouds. I started to cry, the moon was broken to my child
eyes. I can remember exactly that feeling of something that was going
to happen. A couple of weeks after my father had a car accident. I will
never forget that period, the hospital. Nobody knows how he’s still
alive. I’ve always been very close to ma father, we shared a lot of passions, we spent a lot of time together and I guess that a large part of
my relationship with him was signed by the fear of loosing him.
During the years our relationship started to be more complex. He’s a
typical Sicilian man, no emotions, no feelings, no words. It’s very hard
to understand what he’s thinking or how he feels. And, to be honest, I
took a lot after him. I left home at the age of 18, since then our communication started to be very poor, we never see each other but a couple
of weeks per year.
But, some months ago, I felt the same feeling carried by the broken
moon and I discovered that my father is experiencing serious
health problems. He never talks about it, he never tells how he feels.
So I decided to talk with him in order to understand what brought us to
this point. It has been a complex discussion where a lot of
feelings, memories, explenations, regrets came out. This story talks
about me and my identity. But does it playing with my memory, my
imaginary connected to what is real. All the symbols, the places and
the subjects plays like an attempt to recover something that is
missing. It is a collection of different mind’ states, a vision of what is
my story and my identity today. It’s never easy entering such a personal topic, it’s not easy to tell someone to clarify a situation which
stands still for years. But in doing it, in remembering what has been
and what it could be, it’s possible to find kind of a new beginning.
Through this work something is changing in my life and in the relationship with my father.
Installation shoot
Swiss Photo Award 2015
Zürich, Switzerland
2013 - 2014
TOPOGRAPHY
OF A GLACIER
Artist’ short statement
Scientists have been monitoring the state of the glaciers since 1869.
Between 1850 and 1970 alpine glaciers lost at least one third of their
surface area and about half their density. When glaciers melt, the
outflow of water does not necessarily increase gradually. It is usually
dammed by boulders for a certain time, until it breaks through with
great destructive force onto the valley below.
I’ve been to Gries Glacier, Ulrichen (CH), which is one of the most important, but at the same time at risk, glacier of Switzerland.
Griesgletscher is a temperate valley glacier located in the central
Swiss Alps. The glacier covers an area of 5.26 km2 flowing in north-east direction from 3374 m a.s.l. down to 2409 m a.s.l. Mass balance
measurements started in 1961 in connection with the construction of a
reservoir for hydro-power production.
According to the data of the preliminary glacier mass balance
2011/2012 supplied by the World Glacier Monitoring Service, Gries Glacier lost -2400 points in annual mass balance (mm w.e.).
I started from a data analysis conducted by the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network to see the map of the glacier and its relative changement
in the length variation from 1961 and 2011. It’s interesting the word
used to call the part of a glacier that goes under a certain mass. They
are called “dead”.
All the pictures shown here are taken to the new entrance of the glacier, in the “dead” part of it. Looking at the map, 50 years ago, this
would have been completely covered by the ice.
This is the beginning of a project that aims to explore the powerful nature of a living creature in constant evolution. I want to show how such
a powerful creature can be so fragile. In those pictures you can see
their magnificence, but at the same time all their fragility.
Tear sheet
GlacierHub, Columbia University
New York, 2014
2012 - Present
YET MAGAZINE
About
Editorial staff
YET magazine is a triannual photography publication which showcases
editorials and photographic series from artists worldwide. Our aim is to
feature several different styles of photography, without any restriction
in genre, medium, or theme. We showcase both emerging and estabilished international photographers – our work is basically characterized
by the quality of the submitted project, from its concept to the shoot,
up to the final editing. Since it has been produced and managed by
people operating in the photographic sector, YET wants to show “the
image” from other perspectives, starting from the photography itself.
Editor-in-chief &
Founder
Salvatore Vitale
The whole working process in YET magazine is based on the firm conviction that a photographer’s work must be shown as it is: for this
reason, all the photographic projects are published without any
graphic or text insertions, not cut down and free from any form of
further editing. Each selection is curated in collaboration with the
guest artist. Along with the photographic series, we also publish
reviews, in-depth articles and interviews with the key players of the
sector, with the aim of giving an updated look on the international contemporary photographic field.
Photo Editors
Salvatore Vitale
Elena Vaninetti
Deputy Editor
Paola Paleari
Art director
Nicolas Polli
Graphic designer
Nicolas Polli
Web designer
Leonardo Angelucci
Sales Manager
Davide Morotti
Team coordinator
Giulia Giani
Translations
Zoe Casati
Elda Cassetta
Issue 07
December, 2014
Issue 08
May, 2015
ARCHIVE 01—09
Nov, 2015
Features and Info
Selected exhibitions
2016 – #memory_archive, PhotoBookMelbourne, Melbourne, AU
2015 – Current Obsession, Webber Represents, London, UK
2015 – The Moon Was Broken, Lugano, CH
2015 – AI Award, Braga, PT
2015 – EWZ Selection - Swiss Photo Awards, Zurich, CH
2015 – THE SMELL OF DUST, Arles, FR
2015 – THE SMELL OF DUST, Berlin, DE
2015 – THE SMELL OF DUST, Sao Paulo, BR
2014 – Cani Scelti, Sonnenstube, Lugano, CH
2013 – DUST, ArteFiera, Bologna, IT
2013 – Identità, Ego gallery, Lugano, CH
Selected talks, lectures, activities
2016 – Plat(t)form, Fotomuseum Winterthur, CH
2015 – Les Rencontres d’Arles, Arles, FR
2015 – fotopub Festival, Novo Mesto, SLO
2015 – Journée Photographiques de Bienne, CH
2015 – La Nuit des Images, Lausanne, CH
2015 – Le Bal, Paris, FR
2015 – METRONOM gallery, Modena, IT
2015 – ISOLAB, Venice, IT
2014 – Le Photobookclub, Paris Photo, Paris, FR
2014 – Micamera, Milano, IT
2014 – Lugano Photo Days Festival, Lugano, CH
2014 – Fotoleggendo Festival, Rome, IT
2014 – La Nuit des Images, Lausanne, CH
2013 – Torna, Istanbul, TR
2013 – Torun, Ankara, TR
Selected publications and features
NME, ANSA.it, DUST, WU Magazine, Zwölf, CdT, SYN, YET
magazine, RockIT, LaC, City of Lugano, VICE, Plateform,
Bentrovato, FILTER, DU magazine, KALTBLUT, Vogue Italia,
La Regione, Corriere della Sera, Artribune, Der Greif
Magazine, Columbia University
2015 – Member of Impressum, professional association of Swiss journalists.
2015 – Recipient of the Swiss Arts Council
Pro Helvetia’s grant.
↘ Salvatore Vitale
Canton di Fumasoli 3
CH-6965 Cadro - Switzerland
T. +41 78 838 25 17
E. [email protected]
W. www.salvatore-vitale.com