A solo show of work by the trailblazing Italian photographer Letizia Battaglia.
“Photography changes nothing. Violence continues, poverty continues. Children are still being killed in stupid wars.” – Letizia Battaglia.
This Autumn, The Photographers’ Gallery presents Letizia Battaglia: Life, Love and Death in Sicily, on show from 9 October 2024 – 23 February 2025.
Letizia Battaglia (1935-2022) was one of Italy’s most important social documentary photographers. She documented everyday life, alongside the brutal reality of the Mafia and their victims in Sicily. Her images are some of the best-known records of life in the shadow of the Mafia. Not only a photographer, she was also a civil rights activist, journalist, publisher, film director, environmentalist, politician, photo museum director, and is a key figure in Sicilian contemporary history.
Letizia Battaglia: Life, Love and Death in Sicily is a powerful overview of Battaglia's extraordinary photographic work, from 1971 to 2021. Renowned for capturing some of the most poignant, poetic and dramatic moments in Sicilian history, Battaglia's work extends beyond her homeland. This exhibition showcases a broader spectrum of her photography by intertwining her career with her personal life to emphasise Battaglia's sensitivity and humanity.
Battaglia’s strong desire for justice, independence and change fuelled her work and during the 70s and 80s, she was a permanent presence in Palermo, courageously photographing victims of Mafia murders. Her images are some of the best-known records of life in the shadow of the Mafia. In her relentless pursuit against organised crime, she used her camera to document the daily terror, putting it on the front page. Reporting for the daily newspaper L’Ora, she or one of her colleagues, was present at every major crime scene in the city over two decades.
Battaglia mainly photographed in black and white. She also captured daily life: women and children in their neighbourhoods and streets, showing the wealth of the area and at the same time the misery of a city almost abandoned to its fate.
The exhibition is a diverse and extensive representation of Battaglia's work. The images of Palermo's alleyways, districts and neighbourhoods tell different stories of everyday life that sensitively depict personal and interpersonal relationships. The exhibition invites visitors to explore Battaglia's artistic journey, revealing the heart and humanity within her powerful work, bringing together vintage and new prints, archive materials and contact sheets, books, magazines and film.
Letizia Battaglia: Life, Love and Death in Sicily is curated by Paolo Falcone, in collaboration with the Letizia Battaglia Archive and Fondazione Falcone for the Arts.
Letizia Battaglia: Life, Love and Death in Sicily: 9 October - 23 February 2025
The Photographers’ Gallery,16-18 Ramillies Street, London, W1F 7LW
Tickets: Photographers' Gallery (accessacloud.com) - £8.50 / £6 concessions
Also on show at The Photographers’ Gallery
Deborah Turbeville: Photocollage: 9 October - 23 February 2025
Ten.8 in Focus: The legacy of Black Image and Body Politics: 9 October - 23 February 2025
Reimagined Landscapes: 13 September - 10 November2024
Further Information: Homepage | The Photographers Gallery