(Viareggio, 1982). Based in Turin.
Photographer and artist, teacher and curator, developing personal researches, collaborating with artistic and cultural institutions and freelancing as documentary photographer.
Her researches focus on the analysis of social, economic and environmental mechanisms and processes that develop and take shape in places and through history. It investigates themes such as inhabiting – from domestic to landscape scale – the organization of spaces and the relations that develop in and within them.
Her works have been presented in museums, exhibition spaces and photography festivals, in Italy and abroad.
Co-founder and co-curator of JEST, an independent space which promotes photographic culture through exhibitions, projects, residencies and educational activities, mainly focused on contemporary photography.
Professor (IED Torino, Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Accademia d'Arte Novalia) and tutor in projects and workshops.
Founder of Fluxlab–integrated arts laboratory, no profit organization which realizes and coordinates artistic and cultural projects.
She graduated in Contemporary History after studying Natural Sciences, and got a BA in Photography (currently in a master's degree in Visual Arts–Arts, Museology and Curatorship).
AWARDS AND GRANTS
#RaccontoPlurale, Fondazione per l'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT, 2020 – Winner
ABITARE, MUFOCO–Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, Mibact, La Triennale Milano, 2018 – Winner
Premio Marco Pesaresi 2017 – Finalist
Premio Francesco Fabbri per le Arti Contemporanee 2016 – Finalist
Autofocus 7, 2015 – Special mention
Centre Periphery, international award for young artists, Federculture, 2014 – Finalist
Identità della Torino Metropolitana, 2014 – Research grant
Giovane Fotografia Italiana #2, Fotografia Europea festival, 2013 – Selected artist
Combat Prize, Special prize Under 35, 2012 – Winner
Situa.to, Regione Piemonte, 2010 – Research grant
National Geographic International competition, 2010 – Shortlisted
Italian Wave, Artissima, 2008 – Shortlisted
Young Photoghraphy, IV° Wasaw Artistic Photography Festival, 2008 – Special Mention
IED Torino – scholarship
COLLECTIONS
MUFOCO–Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, Milan
Ernst Mayr Library, Harvard University, Cambridge
RESIDENCIES AND PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMPAIGNS
Piccolo come un nido, grande come il mondo, for MUFOCO – Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, 2022
OMNE, curated by. S. Rossl and M. Sordi, Castelfranco Veneto, 2018-19
ABITARE, curated by M. Balduzzi, MUFOCO – Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, 2018
Dintorno, Passi Erratici, curated by S. Riba, Paraloup, 2017
Residenza Alpina, curated by Arteco, Alta Valle Cervo, 2015
Fotografia nel Parco dell'Appennino, curated by A. Botto and D. De Luigi, 2015
Identity of Metropolitan Turin, curated by O. Gambari, for Torino Strategica/Torino Internazionale, 2014
GlogauAir – Artist in Residence Program, Berlin, 2012
Sin_Tesis Lab#03, with photographer Simon Robert, SiFest, 2011
Open Your Mountains residency – Mountain Photo Festival, Courmayeur, 2008
EXHIBITIONS and screenings
2022
Focus of Future, Musei Reali, Turin (IT)
Piccolo come un nido, grande come il mondo (solo show), for and curated by MUFOCO–Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea / Cinisello Balsamo, Milan (IT)
Eyes On Tomorrow, curated by D. De Luigi and I. Campioli, Zoma Museum, Addis Abeba (ETH)
In search of Beauty, Rovinj Photodays Festival / Rovinj (HR)
Beauty, CombinAzioni Festival / Montebelluna (IT)
2021
Beauty, OMNEFEST, curated by. S. Rossl and M. Sordi / Castelfranco Veneto (IT)
L'inizio del futuro, Photolux Festival, curated by G. Ticozzi and Arcipelago-19 / Lucca (IT)
Open walls Arles, 1854 Media and British Journal of Photography, Galerie Huit, Arles (FR)
2019
Not so far, Fond. per l'Architettura, Biennale Democrazia / FFLAG, Torino (IT)
2018
ABITANTI. Sette sguardi sull'Italia di oggi / curated by M. Balduzzi, MUFOCO, La Triennale, Milano (IT)
Cura / CAMERA Centro italiano per la fotografia, Torino (IT)
Cura / Palazzo Regione Piemonte, Torino (IT)
2017
Athens Photo Festival, The Photobook Exhibition / Benaki Museum, Athens (GR)
Stress the archive!, dialogue with Francesco Zanot (projection) / Camera, Torino (IT)
Fahrenheit39 Art Book Fair / Ravenna (IT)
2016
Premio Francesco Fabbri, curated by C. Sala / Fondazione Francesco Fabbri, Pieve di Soligo
Fossili Urbani, Festival della Scienza (solo show) / Natural History Museum G. Doria, Genova (IT)
Residenza Alpina, curated by Arteco / Alta Valle Cervo (IT)
Fossili Urbani (solo show) / Natural Sciences Museum, Bergamo (IT)
Fossili Urbani (solo show) / Natural History Museum, Trieste (IT)
2015
Fossili Urbani (solo show) / MuSe - Museo delle Scienze, Trento (IT)
The Others Fair / former prison Le Nuove, Turin (IT)
Autofocus7, curated by O. Gambari / Baricole, Turin (IT)
Biografie di un edificio (permanent installation) / Residenza Luoghi Comuni, Turin (IT)
Coste e fiumi: paesaggi in mutazione / Public Space Biennal, Casa dell'Architettura, Roma (IT)
PhotoLux festival, Fotografia nel Parco dell'Appennino (talk and projection) / Lucca (IT)
Slideluck Micro Galleries (projection) / Nowra, Australia (AUS)
2014
Slideluck Bologna, curated by Renata Ferri (projection) / Spazio Labò, Bologna (IT)
Si Fest 2014 - Atlante.it (with Habitat project) / Savignano sul Rubicone (IT)
Circulation(s) festival de la Jeune Photographie Européenne, Giovane Fotografia Italiana (projection) / Centquatre, Paris (FR)
Frames / Centre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, Scotland (UK)
Centro-Periferia / Terme di Diocleziano National Museum, Roma (IT)
Territories en images / Institut de Geographie, Paris (FR)
2013
As a fallen apartment building (solo show) / Bild Studio, Turin (IT)
Mediterranea 16, Young Artists Biennal, Giovane Fotografia Italiana / Ancona (IT)
Approdo al futuro / Palazzo Orlando, Livorno (IT)
As a fallen apartment building_Francesca Cirilli | In the Jungle of cities_Laura Fiorio (double solo show) / Dom Kulture gallery, Kamnik, Slovenia (SI)
Le rovine esposte, curated by E. Biffi Gentili / OGR, Torino (IT)
Fotografia Europea, Giovane Fotografia Italiana#2, curated by D. De Luigi / Officina delle Arti, Reggio Emilia (IT)
2012
Open studios / GlogauAIR, Berlin (DE)
L'architettura del Mondo / Triennale, Milan (IT)
Combat Prize / Museo Fattori, Livorno (IT)
2011
SI Fest, Paesaggi instabili, curated by S. Rossl e M. Sordi / Savignano sul Rubicone (IT)
Festival Architettura in Città / Palazzo Bertalazzone, Turin (IT)
Artecittà, art and urban transformation (with Situa.to) / Fondazione Pistoletto, Biella (IT)
Turin-Earth. Città e nuove migrazioni / Museo della Resistenza, Turin (IT)
Con.fondere, VI Young Artists Biennale / SMS Center for Contemporary Art, Pisa (IT)
2010
Situa.to, curated by a.titolo / Turin (IT)
Mountain Photo Festival, Open your mountains / Aosta (IT)
2008
Francesca Cirilli | Fatma Bucak (double solo show) / Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Warsaw, Poland (PL)
Young Italian Photography / Media Art Gallery, Warsaw, Poland (PL)
RFC-Rapallo Fotografia Contemporanea, curated by A. Botto / Antico Castello, Rapallo (IT)
PUBLICATIONS (selection)
Un’estate fa, CTRL Books, 2022
Beauty, a cura di S. Rossl e M. Sordi, Skinnerboox, 2021
222 Emerging Artists worth investing on, 2021, Exibart, 2021
#RaccontoPlurale, Fondazione per l'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea CRT, 2021
Doppiozero: “Virus versus virus”, by Silvia Mazzucchelli, 2020
The best is yet to come, curated by Arteco, Primp Editoria d'Arte, 2019
Fossili Urbani, Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Torino, 2015
Identità della Torino metropolitana, curated by O. Gambari, ArteSera prod., 2014
Luogo e identità nella fotografia italiana contemporanea, curated by Roberta Valtorta, Einaudi, 2013
TERRITORIO, n°66 anno 2013, Dip. Architettura e Studi Urbani, Politecnico di Milano, ed. Franco Angeli
Metodo. International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy, Vol. 1, N°2, ed. Metodo, 2013
Doppiozero (doppiozero.com): “Fare domani dentro al Bunker” (with Marco Magnone), 2013
Domus magazine on line: “As a fallen apartment building”, 2013
CURATORIAL ACTIVITY
See JEST
TEACHING AND MENTORING
IED Torino (2016 – ongoing)
Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia – Scuola Nazionale di Cinema, Scuola di Animazione (2020 – ongoing)
Libera Accademia d’Arte Novalia (2017 – ongoing)
a.titolo / Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte contemporanea: Abitare il minerale project, 2017–18 / Comp(h)ost project, 2019–20
BJCEM (Urban People project, 2018)
Arteco / Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli (2014)
JEST (2016 – ongoing)
Fluxlab (2012 – 2018)
Fondazione Circolo dei Lettori (2012)
"Be P.Art!", Training-Partnership Building Activity, Youth in Action Programme, European Commission – project manager and tutor (2013)
"Photogrpahy for Environment", International Youth Exchange, Youth in Action Programme, European Commission – project manager and tutor (2012)
EDUCATION
2021- ongoing Master's Degree in Visual Arts (Arts, Museology and Curatorship–international curriculum), University of Bologna
2010 Situa.to – arts for public space / Research project and grant curated by a.titolo, Turin
2006-2009 Degree in Photography, IED Torino
2003-2006 Degree in Contemporary History, University of Pisa
2001-2003 Natural Sciences, University of Pisa