Over the past weekend the 4th Photo Vogue Festival took place. Spanning the weekend from the 14-17th, a careful curation of photographs were exhibited at various events that all highlighted the underlying theme of Ethics and Aesthetics.
Base Milano hosted the exhibition “A Glitch in the System, deconstructing stereotypes.” The photographs exhibited came from users of PhotoVogue (https://www.vogue.it/en/photovogue). From the 180,000 photographers that are members of PhotoVogue a diverse panel made of creative directors, models, artists and photographers chose those photos which challenge social prejudices.
The photographs are a raw visual insight into the identities and beliefs of those behind the camera. Photos of naked women posing as Venus or women breastfeeding their children confront you, shedding a new perspective on gender, history, beauty and ethnicity. They may make some of you feel uncomfortable or evoke a curiosity in you as you gaze at the photos making you not only wonder about the various stories being told by the photographs but also about the untold stories of the strangers you’re sharing the exhibition space with at that moment in time.
The significance of the exhibition is to create a dialogue and new acceptance in the viewer even if they cannot relate to the content shown. In society we so often associate with only those similar to us that we narrow ourselves and our perception of normality, so that such exhibitions serve as a reminder that we should always strive to look outside ourselves and our comforts.
Without further ado, enjoy some of the photographs presented at Base and if you're feeling inspired maybe even go and sign up for PhotoVogue. Who knows, maybe next year it will be your story up on the wall!
