“Mappe arboree”: Modena-born photographer Alessandro Vicario on show in Milan

Photography that at first appears documentary reveals itself as a means of evoking feelings, memories and reflections. Mappe arboree, the photographic series begun in 2015 by Modena-born Alessandro Vicario and continually evolving and changing ever since, is on show from 12 April to 30 May 2023 at Lab 1930, the new exhibition space dedicated to contemporary photography at Via Mantova 21 in Milan.

Born in 1968 to Elena, a doctor, and Ennio, a professional photographer who instilled in him a passion for the camera, he spent his early years in Modena before moving with his family to Milan, where he grew up and developed his professional practice. He has nevertheless maintained ties with his birthplace for both personal and professional reasons, as Vicario himself explains: “I return to Modena often because it is a very important centre for contemporary photography; the Fondazione fotografia Modena is just one example. In nearby Rubiera, in the province of Reggio Emilia, there is also the Fondazione Linea di Confine, founded in the late 1990s and always a particularly significant point of reference.”

Curated by Elena Carotti, the exhibition presents eleven photographic works, four of them previously unseen, made between 2015 and 2021 using both analogue and digital photography. It offers a personal reflection on trees and, in particular, on their outermost layer, which plays a fundamental role in our planet’s ecosystem and also affects all our lives: bark, which protects the trunks and the vascular tissues through which sap flows, and is also used for its therapeutic properties.

The photographs exhibited at Lab 1930 are the result of a journey through Italy and Kenya. In January 2017, Alessandro Vicario joined the first Italian delegation to learn about the work that Action for Children in Conflict (AfCiC), a Kenyan non-governmental organisation, has been undertaking since 2004 in Thika, 45 km north-east of Nairobi.

A portion of the proceeds from sales of the Kenyan photographs will support AfCiC’s current projects.

Alessandro Vicario

Born in Modena in 1968, Alessandro Vicario grew up and trained in Milan, where he still lives and works. He began taking photographs as a child, learning from his father Ennio, a professional photographer.

In his work, the themes of memory and our relationship with nature and the environment are linked to the particular nature of photography, understood as a trace of reality mediated by light. He has also created several audiovisual installations.

His work has appeared in several books, including Along the Wall. Berlin 2009, edited by G. Pelloso and R. Valtorta, Silvana Editoriale, Cinisello Balsamo, 2010.

Since 2000, he has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in private galleries, public venues and international art fairs in Italy, Switzerland, France, Spain and Japan. His works are held in private and public collections, including: Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, Cinisello Balsamo (Milan); Alinari 24 ORE, Florence; Museo Villa dei Cedri, Bellinzona (Canton Ticino); Comune di Losone (Canton Ticino); Fondazione Mudima, Milan; Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Cuneo; Fondazione San Fedele, Milan; Centro de Fotografia Isla de Tenerife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife; and Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna e dell’Informazione, Senigallia.