Award Ceremony 2010
The winner of the inaugural Accademia Apulia Photographic Award was Matteo Sandrini from London. He was presented with the £1,000 cash prize by Nancy Dell' Olio, Patron of the organisation, at a glittering ceremony at the Royal Horseguards Hotel on Friday 11 February 2011.
Presenting the awards were the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Judith Warner and the Mayor of Conversano (Apulia) Giuseppe Lovascio. Tom Thatcher from the British Council, Stefan Carcascio the Director of the Banca d’Italia, Lulu Guinness, Kash Gabriele Torsello, Uberto Vanni d’Archirafi, Consul General of Italy, and the founder of Award Angelo Iudice were amongst the 150 guests in attendance.
Matteo Sandrini’s work focuses on his native Italian city of Brescia’s cultural identity. For several days and always at the same time he positioned himself on the main street of the Carmine district where he photographed people passing by. He used the single shots to create a composite collage posing questions around whether people from different heritage may coexist in the very same district, but not necessarily integrate.
The Photographic Award, Genius Loci, Spirit of Place and Cultural Diversity, was established in 2009 by Accademia Apulia UK to champion the importance of diversity in a fast-changing world. The Award is intended to inspire artists from different communities to reflect on the importance of local heritage and customs and symbolises a cultural exchange between Italy and the UK.
