“On Reading”, an homage to the photographer André Kertész, is one of the most diverse and original of Steve McCurry’s exhibitions, with 70 shoots personally selected by me, Biba Giacchetti, together with Steve.

McCurry observes, “Everywhere I go in the world, I see young and old, rich and poor reading books.  Whether they are engaged in the sacred or the secular, they are, for a time, transported to another world.”

The author invites us to observe what happens in this shifted universe, in which people abandon their reality to be totally absorbed by something else. McCurry watches them, as a confirmation of the power of reading to remove us from the present and to lead each individual into a world apart, personal and secret.  For at least five centuries, artists have depicted people reading, and the synergy of images and words.

McCurry’s work is a powerful addition to this oeuvre.

Despite the power of reading is universal, McCurry’s images instead surprise the observer for the unexpected background in which they take place, like wars or environmental disasters.

From Cuba to Turkey, from Italy to India, from USA to Afghanistan and Africa, we can see the most different scenery, as open air schools in bombed countries and other unlikely places, sometimes silent, sometimes noisy, where people are able to read even if surrounded by animals or cars.

The exhibition, curated by me, also introduces the set of publications of this great master of photography, even in their out of print editions. And to bring his icons to life, in addition to the books, it also shows the original shoot that can be seen on the respective cover.

The spirit of McCurry’s images and the visionary installation by Peter Bottazzi, who in turn “reads” and interprets the spaces, will be a powerful incentive for let the visitors to discovering and uncovering an entirely new way of seeing the private communication between the author and the reader.

Curator: Biba Giacchetti

Installation: Peter Bottazzi