Le Stanze della Fotografia Foundation Open Call 2025

On occasion of the Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme del classico show, Le Stanze Della Fotografia Foundation announces an open call for purposes of selecting photographic works related to the exhibition themes that are produced by photographers under 30.

Overview

The open call, organized in conjunction with the upcoming exhibition Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme del classico, which will arrive in Venice on April 10, 2025, offers selected photographers the opportunity to exhibit their works at Le Stanze della Fotografia.

The aim of this initiative is to recognize the talent of emerging photographers, both professional and non-professional, encouraging them in their professional journeys.

Practical Info

Participation in the open call is completely free and open to everyone, whether professionals or photography enthusiasts. Participants are required to produce three photographs that tell a story inspired by the figure of Robert Mapplethorpe and the themes of the exhibition project, structured in three stages: The Forms of the Classic, Beauty, and Desire. The works should create a narrative based on the following quote by Robert Mapplethorpe: “I got into photography because it seemed like the perfect vehicle for commenting on the madness of today's existence.” (Robert Mapplethorpe. Between Ancient and Modern, curated by Germano Celant, 2005).

Applicants must publish the three required photos on their social media accounts and must tag the office’s official account @lestanzedellafotografia using the hashtag #opencallstanze25. The photos must then be emailed to opencallstanze@gmail.com in high resolution, along with a synopsis of the project, a brief biography of the photographer, and a signed copy of the release attached to these rules.

Selected finalist works will be exhibited at Le Stanze della Fotografia’s booth at the MIA Photo Fair, scheduled to take place in Milan from March 20 to March 23, 2025. From among the finalists, the jury will select a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 winners, whose names will be announced during the press conference for the presentation of the exhibition Robert Mapplethorpe. Le forme del classico at Le Stanze della Fotografia, scheduled for April 9, 2024.

The jury that will select the most representative shots includes Pierpaolo Falcone (Gallerist), Denis Curti (Artistic Director of Le Stanze della Fotografia), Giò Marconi (Gallerist), Joree Adilman (Executive Director of the Mapplethorpe Foundation), and Francesca Malgara (Artistic Director of MIA Photo Fair).

About Le Stanze della Fotografia

Conceived as a genuine international centre for research and the appreciation of photography and the culture of the image, alongside the exhibitions in Venice and in the other Italian and foreign cities, Le Stanze della Fotografia offers laboratories, meetings, workshop, seminars with national and international photographers and master’s degrees, in continuity with the cultural design motivated the Casa dei Tre Oci to date, but with a drive and a vision that are even more international. With a view to this, various partnerships are developed with the most important players in the world of photography, such as the Magnum Photos agency, the Parisian Jeu de Paume centre, the Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie and the Musée de l’Elysée in Lausanne, to mention just a few.