The streets and squares of Varese, as well as historic sites, villas, galleries and cultural spaces, have once again become places to admire and experience art thanks to the first edition of INSIGHT Foto Festival, an event in partnership with the Municipality of Varese. 

This event, conceived by Daniela Domestici and Chiara Del Sordo, celebrates contemporary photography not only through the exhibition of photographic works by young and emerging artists, but also through a packed programme of talks, performances and interviews that will take visitors on a tour of the city’s historic centre. 

After a long period of restrictions, the city spaces that have been closed or empty for so long are repopulating with people ready to rediscover the beauty of art. 

The theme chosen for this first edition of INSIGHT Foto Festival is that of identity, understood as self-awareness, awareness of one’s own history and as a relationship and contact with others. Laura Davì, the event’s artistic director, who had the arduous task of selecting the projects to be exhibited, said: “Mine was a careful search for young people whose work on the theme of identity was not trivial. I looked for projects that ranged in terms of artistic research and theme in an attempt to offer the broadest possible panorama of the possible declinations of this macro theme in the awareness that it is impossible to exhaust it.”

Among the names chosen are those of Monica Cattani, Federica Cocciro, Diana del Franco, Giacomo Infantino, Giovanni Mantovani, Luca Marinaccio, Camilla Miliani, Antonio Miucci, Jessica Raimondi, Ilaria Sponda and Marta Viola whose works will be enhanced by video interviews with an artistic slant by Elena Onti and Silvia Roli of Very Enthusiast and visible online thanks to a QR code linked to the exhibition rooms.

“We have thus evaluated artists and photographers who have had few opportunities to exhibit, who are emerging, who investigate in their projects this link with our time. Through research that focuses on identity and its different recomposition within new horizons of freedom.” – Laura Davì

But that’s not all: in addition to the photographs on display, it will be possible to admire sculptures and video installations, take part in talks and workshops and rediscover the beauty of photography thanks to a selection of books and photobooks. 

INSIGHT Foto Festival is open to the public until Sunday 30 May, visit the official website to discover the entire programme of the event and discover below some shots of the selected photographers.