After being exhibited in London at the prestigious Somerset House from 9 to 28 March, arrives in Bologna the traveling photographic exhibition "Grow/Conserve", featuring the winning images of the latest edition of the Syngenta Photography Award, the international contest created in 2012 by Syngenta with the aim of encouraging discussion on important global issues and creating a platform that you explore issues of global significance through the power of images.
After the award ceremony of the contest winners and the subsequent exhibition in London, Italy was chosen as the first host country of the traveling exhibition: the images with the greatest impact of the Syngenta Photography Award, in fact, were on display inside the Savoia Hotel Regency during the work of the G7 Environment, held in Bologna from 11 to 12 June, and again in the Emilian capital will be exhibited to the public free of charge from 22 June to 14 September at Casa Saraceni, for the concession of which we thank the Fondazione Savings Bank in Bologna.
In this way, the exhibition ideally intends to carry forward the inspiring themes of the G7 Environment and help keep visitors' sensitivity alive with respect to these issues that are so important for the future of the world's population, bearing witness to the commitment and need for sustainable growth of the Planet.
The third edition of the photographic contest, open to professional and amateur photographers, is dedicated to the "Grow/Conserve" dualism, i.e. the contrast between growth and conservation of resources, a theme explored in a unique and personal way through the shots of the participants.
“We chose Italy and Bologna for the first stage of the traveling exhibition “Grow/Conserve” – underlines Luigi Radaelli, CEO of Syngenta Italia – not only because we had the great honor of participating with the exhibition at the G7 Environment, but also as a sign of closeness to a territory to which we are very close. In fact, in 2014 we acquired ownership, together with the Carisbo Foundation, of PSB – Società Produttori Sementi, a historic seed company in Bologna whose highly advanced research center is now a source of pride for Syngenta. We hope that the exhibition will represent an additional attraction in recent months – concludes Radaelli – for a city very rich in artistic and cultural beauties”.
Il Syngenta Photography Award it then returns to Italy after the great public success of the previous edition, dedicated to the “Scarcity/Waste” contrast between waste and scarcity of resources, which toured the world for two years and was exhibited in some of the most prestigious international locations. In our country, the exhibition stopped on three occasions: in 2015 in Milan, in Piazza Gae Aulenti, during the semester of Expo, in 2016 at the Ala Ponzone Civic Museum in Cremona and, finally, between January and February 2017 at Eataly Rome Ostiense.
Yan Wang – First Prize for Grow/Conserve Edition
The winner of the Professional Commission category is Sino-British artist and photographer Yan Wang Preston.
Yan Wang Preston was chosen by an international jury chaired by writer and photographer William A. Ewing. In response to this year's theme of 'Grow/Conserve', his long-term project called 'Forest' delves into the relationship between urbanization and nature, particularly in relation to China's urban forests. The conflicts between the rapid growth of our cities and the protection of existing ecosystems is a central theme of the project. Preston was awarded a cash prize of $15.000 and up to $25.000 to implement her project. The commission will allow it to expand and complete the project which particularly affects forestry activities in mainland China.
The winner of the Open Competition is the Irish photographer from Dublin Kenneth O'Halloran.
