An exhibition of photos taken by Italian photographer Mauro Vitale opened at Iranian Artists Forum in Tehran on Monday as part of the 15th edition of the Image of the Year and Tassvir Film Festival that is underway at the venue.
Photographer and documentarian Seyfollah Samadian, who is also the director of the event, said this is the first time a foreign artist has been invited to attend the exhibition that runs until March 11.
Titled ‘People and Land of Wool’, the exhibit includes 60 photos of nomads captured in the cities of Fars Province and Talesh in Gilan Province, as well as nomads of southern Italy, Honaronline reported.
The 60-year-old artist has photographed nomads of many countries, including Romania, India and Morocco, over the past 12 years, and for the same reason made four trips to Iran, ISNA reported.
The most interesting feature of the exhibit is that the photos depict the similarities and differences between Iranian and Italian nomads.
At a meeting held on the sidelines of the opening ceremony, the Italian artist talked about his interest in capturing people and that he has some 10,000 photos of Iran, half of them are photos of people.
“Ethnography and capturing people’s feelings are what I like and care about,” he said.
“Nomads respect nature and do not want to change it. And with my photos, I wanted to show this [their harmony and relation with environment].”
Asked why he decided to visit Asia, particularly Iran, for photography, he said European countries have many common features, “but Iran is different; Qashqai nomads have a completely different culture”.
Qashqai people are one of the Iranian nomadic tribes that migrate across the Zagros Mountains in the summer and winter.
“In Italy, nomads have settled and are not on the move since several years ago, but the feelings and beliefs they hold [about Nature] are still the same,” he added.
Vitale was the head of a photo project for D’Abruzzo Magazine for five years. He currently collaborates with magazines and publishers at the national level.
He has published books and excursion guides that use photography to investigate Nature, architecture, popular traditions and the manifestations of spirituality.
IAF is located at Artists Park on North Mousavi St., Taleqani Street.
