Yesterday, the Fondazione Prada in Milan opened a new exhibition space called Osservatorio and dedicated to photography and visual languages, with an exhibition titled “Give Me Yesterday.”
Organized by Francesco Zanot—curator at CAMERA, the Italian Center for Photography in Turin—the show features 14 international artists focusing on the use of photography as a diary, with work dating from 2000 to the present day.
The theme is explored through the work of artists such as Ryan McGinley, Kenta Cobayashi, Wen Ling, and Antonio Rovaldi. The Fondazione cites the influence of artists Nan Goldin, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Richard Billingham for the show.
Antonio Rovaldi, Orizzonte in Italia (dalla serie) (2011-2015). Photo courtesy Fondazione Prada.
“In a context characterized by the pervasive presence of photography devices and an uninterrupted circulation of images produced and shared through digital platforms, a generation of young artists has transformed the photographic diary into an instrument to focus on their own daily lives and intimate, personal rituals,” details a statement on their website.
Osservatorio—which joins the Fondazione’s Rem Koolhaas designed space in Milan and a space in Venice—is located in Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, on the fifth and sixth floors of a building that has been restored from bomb damage dating from the Second World War and turned into an impressive 800-square-meter space.
The new photography space overlooks the glass dome designed by Giuseppe Mengoni that covers the arcade in the Galleria.
Melanie Bonajo, Thank You for Hurting Me I Really Needed It (2008-2016). Photo courtesy Fondazione Prada.
In attendance at the opening were Miuccia Prada, president of Fondazione Prada, as well as the participating artists Irene Fenara, Leigh Ledare, Lebohang Kganye, Joanna Piotrowska, Greg Reynolds, Antonio Rovaldi, and Maurice Van Es.