Massimo
Siragusa

Massimo Siragusa

biography

Italian photographer, born in 1958 in Catania (Italy), member of Agence VU’ since 2018, based in Rome (Italy) where he also teaches photography (European Institute of Design)

After studying political science, Massimo Siragusa develops his photographic writing  in a  self-taught practice, until his meeting with Ferdinando Scianna in 1987 makes him decide to settle as professional photographer.

Massimo Siragusa then undertakes to photograph the Italian territory in its broadest sense: in what he reveals of the people who walks over it, lives it, modifies it, gives it to see or on the contrary hides it. Natural or urban landscape, exterior or interior, heritage, contemporary or ordinary architecture, places of life, leisure or passage: he documents public spaces such as private or intimate ones with the same frontal process.

Like a theatre set, planes accumulate, traces are juxtaposed, lines are drawn, colours are dyed in some unreal light. Behind fixed frame and apparent immobility, Massimo Siragusa’s photographs point out differences and value similarities, sometimes up to vertigo and loss of reference points.

In parallel to these personal projects, Massimo Siragusa carries out commissioned works for Italian and international companies in the industrial, energy, hotel and luxury sectors.

Winner of prestigious awards including four world press, his work is regularly published in the international press (New York Times Magazine, Die Zeit, Geo Germany and Japan, Le Figaro Magazine), and exhibited throughout the world.

Series

SQR / Outskirts of Rome, 2019

Serie | Fifteen million people live in Italian suburbs today. The territories on the outskirts of the cities suffer from lack of infrastructure, the illegal occupations of buildings and the illegal disposal of waste.

Il Cretto Grande, 2018

Serie | The sense of suspended times and perfection that radiates from his earlier works places Siragusa's research on Burri's Cretto in a kind of continuity. But new elements are blatantly emerging.

The Emotion of Vertigo, 2018

Serie | From the cliffs of the beautiful island of Capri to the steep peaks of the Cortina d'Ampezzo, it is amazing to see the similar sensations that can evoke landscapes that seem to have no common features.

Kindergartens, 2014

Serie | Kindergartens in all imaginable shapes and colors. A room full of harps in one photograph, toys covering the floor on another, Massimo Siragusa explores the places of experimentation and life that constitute kindergartens.

Ambrosi Factory, 2014

Serie | In 2014, Siragusa visited the Italian factory Ambrosi in Brescia in Lombardy.

Lo Spazio Condiviso : The Shared Space , 2013

Serie | From the Acitrezza Fishermen's Club to the Parma Reading Club, from the Genoa Yacht Club to the Syracuse Railway Club, this series takes us into spaces that are sometimes inclusive and sometimes exclusive.

Cities, 2013

Serie | From Rome to Berlin, from London to Paris via Turin or even Marseilles, Massimo Siragusa strolls his glance on the European streets and the passers-by who crowd there.

Churches, 2013

Serie | In this series; Siragusa realizes a portrait of a dozen Roman churches with modern architecture, most of which were built at the turn of the 20th century.

Teatro d'Italia : Theater of Italy , 2011

Serie | From what point of view did Massimo Siragusa want to depict Italy? Are these landscape photos? Are they "portraits of places"?

The Green Hour, 2010

The cracked profile of a face stands out, white, dazzling on a tree fence. Green, dense, shady. We are in Florence, in the Boboli Garden, one of the best examples of Italian gardens in the world and considered the best preserved in the country.

Housing, 2010

Series | Traveling from Naples to Palermo, and stopping in Messina and Catania, this series immerses us in the living rooms of homes full of objects: the espresso machine on the kitchen table, the statue of the Madonna at the foot of the living room mirror...

Cinecittà, 2009

Serie | Cinecittà is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres, it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema.

Secret Documents, 2008

Serie | Massimo Siragusa shows us here the places of the Italian national archives, from Rome to Florence, documenting their heterogeneous and historical architectures.

Leisure Time, 2007

Serie | Amusement parks, cruise ships in the Mediterranean, water parks, are miniature worlds to explore. Places often without identity frame the search for moments of relaxation to cure the stress of work produced by contemporary societies.


SQR / Outskirts of Rome, 2019

Serie | Fifteen million people live in Italian suburbs today. The territories on the outskirts of the cities suffer from lack of infrastructure, the illegal occupations of buildings and the illegal disposal of waste.

Il Cretto Grande, 2018

Serie | The sense of suspended times and perfection that radiates from his earlier works places Siragusa's research on Burri's Cretto in a kind of continuity. But new elements are blatantly emerging.

The Emotion of Vertigo, 2018

Serie | From the cliffs of the beautiful island of Capri to the steep peaks of the Cortina d'Ampezzo, it is amazing to see the similar sensations that can evoke landscapes that seem to have no common features.

Kindergartens, 2014

Serie | Kindergartens in all imaginable shapes and colors. A room full of harps in one photograph, toys covering the floor on another, Massimo Siragusa explores the places of experimentation and life that constitute kindergartens.

Ambrosi Factory, 2014

Serie | In 2014, Siragusa visited the Italian factory Ambrosi in Brescia in Lombardy.

Lo Spazio Condiviso : The Shared Space , 2013

Serie | From the Acitrezza Fishermen's Club to the Parma Reading Club, from the Genoa Yacht Club to the Syracuse Railway Club, this series takes us into spaces that are sometimes inclusive and sometimes exclusive.

Cities, 2013

Serie | From Rome to Berlin, from London to Paris via Turin or even Marseilles, Massimo Siragusa strolls his glance on the European streets and the passers-by who crowd there.

Churches, 2013

Serie | In this series; Siragusa realizes a portrait of a dozen Roman churches with modern architecture, most of which were built at the turn of the 20th century.

Teatro d'Italia : Theater of Italy , 2011

Serie | From what point of view did Massimo Siragusa want to depict Italy? Are these landscape photos? Are they "portraits of places"?

The Green Hour, 2010

The cracked profile of a face stands out, white, dazzling on a tree fence. Green, dense, shady. We are in Florence, in the Boboli Garden, one of the best examples of Italian gardens in the world and considered the best preserved in the country.

Housing, 2010

Series | Traveling from Naples to Palermo, and stopping in Messina and Catania, this series immerses us in the living rooms of homes full of objects: the espresso machine on the kitchen table, the statue of the Madonna at the foot of the living room mirror...

Cinecittà, 2009

Serie | Cinecittà is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres, it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema.

Secret Documents, 2008

Serie | Massimo Siragusa shows us here the places of the Italian national archives, from Rome to Florence, documenting their heterogeneous and historical architectures.

Leisure Time, 2007

Serie | Amusement parks, cruise ships in the Mediterranean, water parks, are miniature worlds to explore. Places often without identity frame the search for moments of relaxation to cure the stress of work produced by contemporary societies.


SQR / Outskirts of Rome, 2019

Serie | Fifteen million people live in Italian suburbs today. The territories on the outskirts of the cities suffer from lack of infrastructure, the illegal occupations of buildings and the illegal disposal of waste.

Il Cretto Grande, 2018

Serie | The sense of suspended times and perfection that radiates from his earlier works places Siragusa's research on Burri's Cretto in a kind of continuity. But new elements are blatantly emerging.

The Emotion of Vertigo, 2018

Serie | From the cliffs of the beautiful island of Capri to the steep peaks of the Cortina d'Ampezzo, it is amazing to see the similar sensations that can evoke landscapes that seem to have no common features.

Kindergartens, 2014

Serie | Kindergartens in all imaginable shapes and colors. A room full of harps in one photograph, toys covering the floor on another, Massimo Siragusa explores the places of experimentation and life that constitute kindergartens.

Ambrosi Factory, 2014

Serie | In 2014, Siragusa visited the Italian factory Ambrosi in Brescia in Lombardy.

Lo Spazio Condiviso : The Shared Space , 2013

Serie | From the Acitrezza Fishermen's Club to the Parma Reading Club, from the Genoa Yacht Club to the Syracuse Railway Club, this series takes us into spaces that are sometimes inclusive and sometimes exclusive.

Cities, 2013

Serie | From Rome to Berlin, from London to Paris via Turin or even Marseilles, Massimo Siragusa strolls his glance on the European streets and the passers-by who crowd there.

Churches, 2013

Serie | In this series; Siragusa realizes a portrait of a dozen Roman churches with modern architecture, most of which were built at the turn of the 20th century.

Teatro d'Italia : Theater of Italy , 2011

Serie | From what point of view did Massimo Siragusa want to depict Italy? Are these landscape photos? Are they "portraits of places"?

The Green Hour, 2010

The cracked profile of a face stands out, white, dazzling on a tree fence. Green, dense, shady. We are in Florence, in the Boboli Garden, one of the best examples of Italian gardens in the world and considered the best preserved in the country.

Housing, 2010

Series | Traveling from Naples to Palermo, and stopping in Messina and Catania, this series immerses us in the living rooms of homes full of objects: the espresso machine on the kitchen table, the statue of the Madonna at the foot of the living room mirror...

Cinecittà, 2009

Serie | Cinecittà is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres, it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema.

Secret Documents, 2008

Serie | Massimo Siragusa shows us here the places of the Italian national archives, from Rome to Florence, documenting their heterogeneous and historical architectures.

Leisure Time, 2007

Serie | Amusement parks, cruise ships in the Mediterranean, water parks, are miniature worlds to explore. Places often without identity frame the search for moments of relaxation to cure the stress of work produced by contemporary societies.


videos

Teatro d’Italia, 2017
—
By looking at these images, one by one, we can see that they are – almost all – adapted to theatrical actions. I do not imagine them populated by daily life, but repopulated by different performances.
Montage: Valeria Scrilatti

Altagamma Backstage, 2012
—
Altagamma is the Italian luxury brand committee composed of companies in the fields of design, fashion, food, jewellery, automobiles, and hospitality. It fulfills a similar function to the French Comité Colbert. Its name literally means “high end”
Montage : Valeria Scrilatti

Interviews

Paolo Di Stefano e Massimo Siragusa – Respirano i muri
TV 2000
—
2018

Massimo Siragusa is interviewed by the Italian channel TV2000 about his book Respirano i muri alongside Paolo Di Stefano, who wrote the book.

Interview de Massimo Siragusa
Fondazione Studio Marangoni
—
2014

As part of its project, Il teatro d’italia, the Fondazione Studio Maragoni interviewed photographer Massimo Siragusa.

Massimo Siragusa à la galerie Polka
Galerie Polka
—
Interview by Antoine Soubrier et Marianne Giniel, 2011

Interview réalisée dans le cadre de l’exposition collective Itinérances à la galerie Polka.

Read

exhibitions

Cargo, les photographiques de Saint-Nazaire
—
Galerie des Franciscains, Saint-Nazaire (FRANCE)
—
From the 1st of July to the 16th of October, 2022

More information

Altri Paisaghji – Autres Paysages
—
Musée de Bastia, Bastia (FRANCE)
—
From the 21st of February to the 29th of March, 2019

More information

books

Il Cretto Grande

Postcart - 2018

Respirano i muri

Editions Contrasto - 2018

Teatro d’Italia

Editions Contrasto - 2012

Bologna, lo spettacolo di una cittá

Editions Contrasto - 2011

Credi

Sanfilipo - 2002

Il cerchio magico

Editions Contrasto - 2001

Il Vaticano. Un itinerario tra storia, arte e vita

Motta Federico - 1999

Il Cretto Grande

Postcart - 2018

Respirano i muri

Editions Contrasto - 2018

Teatro d’Italia

Editions Contrasto - 2012

Bologna, lo spettacolo di una cittá

Editions Contrasto - 2011

Credi

Sanfilipo - 2002

Il cerchio magico

Editions Contrasto - 2001

Il Vaticano. Un itinerario tra storia, arte e vita

Motta Federico - 1999

Il Cretto Grande

Postcart - 2018

Respirano i muri

Editions Contrasto - 2018

Teatro d’Italia

Editions Contrasto - 2012

Bologna, lo spettacolo di una cittá

Editions Contrasto - 2011

Credi

Sanfilipo - 2002

Il cerchio magico

Editions Contrasto - 2001

Il Vaticano. Un itinerario tra storia, arte e vita

Motta Federico - 1999

awards

Friuli Venezia Giulia Photography Award

For his project : Lo spazio condiviso

2015

2nd prize Sony World Photography

Architecture categorie

2014

1st prize Interiros at MIFA Moscow International Foto Award

2014

World Press Photo, 3rd prize, Contemporary Issue

For the series “Living Slums”

2009

World Press Photo, 2nd prize, Art Stories

For the series “Tempo Libero”

2008

Amilcare Ponchielli Award

For the series “Tempo Libero”

2006

World Press Photo, Art Stories

For the series “Il Cerchio Magico”

1999

Fuji Film Euro Press Photo Award

For the series “Il Cerchio Magico”

1999

World Press Photo, 2nd prize, Daily Life

For the series “Bisogno Di Un Miracolo”

1997