Melania MESSINA
Pays de résidence : Italie
Année de naissance :
Nationalité : Italy
Biographie, prix et/ou bourses : Melania Messina
melania1959@yahoo.com
http://melaniamessina.photoshelter.com
mob +39 3292093826
Project, reportage, editorial photography, documentary photography, social documentary,
Born in Palermo (Italy) on 1959, she attained a high school diploma of classical studies in Italy.
She moved to USA during the eighties, and frequented a course of photography at "Maui Community College" in the state of Hawaii first, and on 1988 she studied photography at the "School of Visual Arts" in New York. Since many years she has been engaged in a research of innovative visual codes, using color as form of expression while taking photos, often treating social issues with a special attention to women and gender differences. She travelled to Indonesia with a group of anthropologists of the university of Amsterdam (Netherlands) in 1989, to realize a reportage on mysticism and traditional medicine in Giava. Afterwards she came back to Italy and moved to Milan, where she started to collaborate with the photo agency "MARKA" and "Photo Dossier" and the magazine "L’Etichetta" directed by Luigi Veronelli, while also working as assistant in studios of advertising photographers. In 1992 she moved to Sicily, where she actually lives and works, and where she started to work with architectural and cultural heritage photography on commission by the Italian magazines "Bell’Italia" and "Antiquariato", periodicals of "Giorgio Mondadori" editions. But mainly she focused on social issues concerning Sicily, she treated themes as female immigration in Sicily from the South of the world, a series of portraits published, together with the reportage of Paola Agosti and Simona Calì Cocuzza, in a book with preface of Giovanna Calvenzi. In 2004 the International Museum of Women in San Francisco has selected her entry for the published anthology project, Imagining Ourselves, previewed in New York at the 49th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The anthology with a preface by Isabella Allende, focuses on the global female experience. In 2005 within the activities of the NGO: "Laboratorio Zen Insieme" she conceived and realized a project lasting two years, which experimented visual codes while treating social issues, she conducted her project with the teenagers living in one of the most run down suburb of Palermo, she created a video montage with the photos taken during the activities of the project. The result of the project aroused interest, and the third channel of RAI Italian public network, transmitted on air her reportage. Her last project “Glimpses of broken silence” concerning domestic violence, has been shown at Palazzo Ziino in Palermo under the patronage of the President of Italian chamber of deputies. Her images are published in national and international magazines as Liberation, D la Repubblica, il Venerdì, Antiquariato, Bell’Italia”, Famiglia Cristiana, F, l’Espresso, Gioia, Gente, New york Times magazine , Traveller’s UK etc. Since 2010 she is member of BuenaVista photo, the first collective of freelance Italian photographers. She is also member of “Donne Fotografe, Italian women photographers’ association” Recently she received an award from “Libera” association against mafia as acknowledgement for her engagement as photographer.
Books
• 1997: 'Il Festino di Santa Rosalia 1995-1997', photos of Alessandro Leone, Melania Messina, Sandro Scalia, sponsored by the Department of culture of the Municipality of Palermo.
• 1998: 'Palermo impressioni', photos by Melania Messina, texts by Silvana Montera, at the 35th conference of studies of Italian Society of agricultural economics, sponsored by the Department of information of the Municipality of Palermo.
• 2000: 'Donne di Terre Lontane', photos of Paola Agosti, Simona Calì Cocuzza, Melania Messina, with the preface of Giovanna Calvenzi, sponsored by the Department of information of the Municipality of Palermo.
• 2004: 'Imagining Ourselves, global voices from a new generation of women', foreword by Isabel Allende, published in association with International Museum of Women, New World Library Novato, California.
• 2005: 'Palermo, frammenti di emozioni', introduction of Vincenzo Consolo, Anteprima editions, with the sponsorship of "Banco di Sicilia" and the Faculty of Agriculture of Unversity of Palermo.
• 'Women of Palermo': Luminaria 2009 calendar, design of Melania Messina, photographs of Melania Messina, thanks to the contribution of the CGIL and Banca Intesa San Paolo (2008).
Expositions:
• 1992: some of her images exposed at the gallery Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, the curator of the exhibition was Lanfranco Colombo.
• 1993: exhibition: "Kermesse della fotografia a Palermo", Mediterranean Fair of Palermo, sponsored by Provincial business for tourist promotions of Palermo
• 1995: "Palazzo Marchesi" within the event "Sord-Nud, Sicilian proposals of contemporary art and culture", sponsored by the Municipality of Palermo.
• 1999: exhibition entitled "Behind the moon" , cultural association "Non solo alive".
• 2000: "Beneath the Western Sky" , former oratory S. Basilio, Palermo, sponsored by the Municipality of Palermo.
• 2001: "Beneath the Western Sky", within the conference "Women in the Mediterranean area (comparison of culture and citizenship rights, images and words by women)", Palazzo Ziino, Palermo.
• 2003: "Beneath the Western Sky", "Festival di Liberazione", Palermo.
• 2003: Photo exhibition within the cultural event entitled: "Should you stay or should you go?", Opera Universitaria hall, Palermo.
• 2004: "Inside the room (fragments of inner landscapes visions)", Festival di Liberazione, Palermo.
• 2006: Video projection of the reportage on the outskirts in Palermo, festival of European Left, Palermo.
• 2006: Video projection of the reportage on the outskirts in Palermo, festival of Social Exclusion, Palermo.
• 2006: Video projection of the reportage on the outskirts in Palermo, Spasimo, Palermo.
• 2006: Video projection of the reportage on the outskirts in Palermo, Festival of Unity, Palermo.
• 2007: Exhibition of women photographers: "Talìa", within the initiatives to celebrate march 8th , sponsored by "Luminarie" association.
• 2008 First edition of Italian and International festival of photojournalism in Reggio Calabria: “In the name of women”
• 2009 Group exhibition “Percorsi futuristi”, Elsa Morante library, Rome
• 2009 “Zen suburbs”, within the independent festival of photography “Red Eyes”, Forte Prenestino, Rome
• 2009 “Zen suburbs” Giufà library, Rome.
• 2013 “Not included” within “Geografie e Storie di transizioni” , Palazzo Ziino, Palermo.
• 2013 “Porta d'Europa”, images and stories of d migrants. Exhibition by Isabella Balena and Melania Messina, Biblioteca Comunale, Lodi
• 2015” Silenzi Interrotti”, Palazzo Ziino, Palermo.
• 2018 “Resilienza” Group exhibition by “Collettivo BuenaVista” Milano photoweek, circolo ARCI Bellezza.
• 2018 “Bodystorming” video of images produced by the members of “Donne Fotografe, Italian women photographers association” Firenze festival Off “l’Eredità delle Donne”
• 2019 “Shadows”group exhibition “Loosenart”, galleria Millepiani, Rome
• 2019 “Invisibile” group exhibition of “Donne Fotografe, Italian women photographers association” Modena, complesso San Paolo, Festival della Filosofia 2019
• 2019 “Invisibile” group exhibition of “Donne Fotografe, Italian women photographers association” cortile dell’Archiginnasio, Bologna
• 2020“Invisibile” group exhibition of “Donne Fotografe, Italian women photographers association” Chiesa di Sant’ Agostino, Pietrasanta
• 2021 “Scolpite” group exhibition of “Donne Fotografe, Italian women photographers association”, Brescia Photo Festival, Palazzo facchi
• 2021 “Scolpite” group exhibition of “Donne Fotografe, Italian women photographers association”, Palazzo reale, Milano
• 2021 “Scolpite” group exhibition of “Donne Fotografe, Italian women photographers association”, Festival L’Eredità delle Donne, Firenze
Mobile : 39-3292093826
E-mail : melania1959@yahoo.com
Site : http://melaniamessina.photoshelter.com/
