The exhibition “Letizia Battaglia: Life, Love and Death in Sicily” has opened at the Photographers’ Gallery in London. It is entirely dedicated to the life and photographs of Letizia Battaglia (1935-2022). Curated by Paolo Falcone, in collaboration with the Letizia Battaglia Archive and the Falcone Foundation for the Arts, and supported by the Italian Cultural Institute in London, the exhibition is a premiere for the Palermo-born photographer in the British capital and will be open to the public until 23 February.
From the early 1970s, Battaglia’s shots documented everyday life in Sicily along with the horrors of wars and Mafia massacres until the 1990s. His photographs are internationally recognised as a fundamental documentation of the Mafia phenomenon in Sicily.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute, Francesco Bongarrà, the Dir4ector of the Photographers’ Gallery, Shoair Mavlian, and curator Paolo Falcone.
“It is extraordinary to see Letizia Battaglia’s photographs on display in the gallery, which is a stone’s throw from Oxford Street considered to be the ‘Mecca’ of the world photographic scene”, said Bongarrà, also a native of Palermo, who personally met the photographer. He added: “Her lens told the story of a land plagued and offended by the Mafia that found the strength to rebel against the violence and oppression of Cosa Nostra. A testimony of history and civilisation that the Italian Cultural Institute in London is glad to support in the British capital.”
