Miami Hosted WinePhoto 2012

Fausto Podavini, Mirella (1st Prize). All photos are courtesy of the artists and WinePhoto 2012.

By Claire Fenton

It was an Italian affair at the ninth edition of WinePhoto, the international competition that attracts some of the most talented photographers in the world. Sponsored by Balan, Italy and organized by Diego Orlando, a renowned photographer and curator based in Venice, it was held Sept. 6-8 in Miami, the first time the event has ever been held in the United States. The competition featured venues at both Wine by the Bay on Biscayne Boulevard and Etra Fine Art in the Design District.

Since its first edition in 2004, WinePhoto has awarded 43 prizes and 11 honorable mentions to photographers from 65 countries. In 2012, the theme that guided both the contest, in which 450 artists participated, and the exhibition was “Diaries,” inspired by William Faulkner’s novel Light in August.

Myriam Meloni, Important Things Are Said Softly (2nd Prize).

First prize was awarded to Italian photographer Fausto Podavini, while second prize went to his compatriot Myriam Meloni. Third place was shared by Zoltan Balog (Hungary), Sohrab Hura (India) and Anastasia Taylor Lind (U.K.). In addition, there were several honorable mentions, including Andrea Campesi (Italy), Luca Desienna (Italy), Anahit Hayrapetyan (Armenia), Antonella Monzoni (Italy) and Mikolaj Nowacki (Poland).

The WinePhoto jury selected winners based on their ability to create a narrative through images. These projects contain in-depth sociological studies of the phenomenon chosen as the theme, as well as research that implies the photographer’s contact with and moral commitment to those he immortalizes in his pieces.

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Zoltan Balog, Diary of Ivett and Dezso (3rd Prize).

Podavini’s first place entry, Mirella, tells the powerful story of the love of a woman for her husband, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The work consists of an extensive collection of photos documenting moments in the life of the couple, whose relationship of almost 40 years undergoes unexpected changes as a result of the devastating effects of this illness.

For its part, Meloni’s Important Things Are Said Softly speaks of the family as the fundamental cornerstone of society. The piece documents the daily life of Yessica, a single mother forced to prostitute herself in order to provide for her two children. It is a journal of three people who on a daily basis rediscover the value of being together as a family, in spite of the adverse conditions of their existence.

Anastasia Taylor-Lind, The National Womb: Baby Boom in Nagorno-Karabakh (3rd Prize). Photographer from VII Photo Agency.

Balog’s Diary of Ivett and Dezso addresses the value of love in a world in which wealth is not evenly distributed. Balog gathers fragments of the life of two homeless adolescents who occupy minimal, precarious space in the backyard of a decayed building in Budapest; there, they nurture their newborn. This series of photos portrays the young couple, who lost custody of their first two children because they were unable to care for them, as they fight for happiness, dreams and survival.

WinePhoto also announced special mention Food Writers to recognize the value of photographic projects revolving around agriculture, culinary traditions and wine. This was a very interesting segment within the exhibition because it assembled works addressing, from an anthropological stance, life and customs in various parts of the world, ranging from the agitated atmosphere of an Iranian bazaar to the life of nomadic shepherds in Albania, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Wales and Romania, as well as the daily reality of cocoa plantations in Chuao, Venezuela, at which most work is done by descendants of African slaves.

Initiatives such as WinePhoto not only encourage creativity and reward the work of artists, irrespective of where they come from, but they also invite us to rediscover values that are all too scarce in today’s world, such as solidarity, friendship, family unity and love, making for a fascinating exhibition that hopefully will return to Florida in 2013.

For more information visit, www.winephoto.it or contact Etra Fine Art at 50 NE 40th Street. Miami Design District, 33137. Phone: 305 438 4383 / info@etrafineart.com / info@winebtb.com

Claire Fenton is an arts writer based in Miami.