ELISA BIAGI

Photographer / Photo Editor

ABOUT ME

I am a documentary and architectural photographer based in Trieste. I studied architecture and I work as photo editor, professional photographer and editorial consultant.

Since my early age, I have been cultivating the art of film photography, and during my university studies I explored digital photography and techniques of digital representation. In 2010, I co-founded a cultural association committed to urban regeneration in Trieste, for which I remain responsible of photography until 2015. During this period I created a map of hundreds of abandoned buildings because of the city degrowth. At the same time, I started my career as a curator of other photographers. In 2012, I conceived and directed “Elsewhere – Mental Health & Human Rights International Festival”, a multidisciplinary international festival with the patronage of the Council of Europe. In addition, I led documentary projects which show the difficult relationship between man, nature and anthropized space.

In 2016, I attended the international masterclasses of photojournalism “Visual Storytelling in the Digital Age”, organized by ICP- International Center of Photography (New York) and Camera – Italian Center for Photography (Torino).

All these experiences allowed me to define my approach to my assignment and personal works, undertaking several long-term projects, including “On moving border”.

I was committed in social projects, among others with Women Anti-violence Center, International House of Women, InsideOut Project (For the right of the second-generation immigrants citizenship).

Currently I am pursuing projects that affect environment, local cultures, and life along the border area.

STATEMENT

In my research I explore the basic elements of the culture in which I live, the family and interpersonal relationships, the substance and the glues of life in different social contexts. I use two main elements: evocative language and space. The use of an evocative language is a specific choice. I believe that the ends do not justify the means, and I choose to respect the relationship of trust that I have establish with the subjects, the places and the stories represented. The space is often a subject. It is the place on which all become possible: human relationships, work, private and social rites.

These elements, combined with my intention to understand the experiences of others and their reasons, led me to develop an expressive approach of qualitative phenomenological type. I chose this slow system of investigation because it focuses on the uniqueness of each situation and not on its generalization. Exploring the details allows me to questioning even the most entrenched stereotypes.

This short interview for the Slovenian TV Koper-Capodistria, explains my approach to photography and this project.

The project explores what living on “moving borders” means at the present time: the struggle of belonging to a political scene in constant motion, despite the diversity and the political pressures.

I’m sorry that in this moment the video is only available in Italian language.

There is much more

This web space is dedicated to my main project, but my work is also much more. If you are interested in my assignments, my archive, industrial and exhibit images that do not concern ON MOVING BORDER Project, I recommend visiting my personal site.

My website