steve mccurry presents 150 photos for 'oltre lo sguardo' at villa reale di monza

steve mccurry presents 150 photos for ‘oltre lo sguardo’ at villa reale di monza
an elderly man from the rabari tribe, rajasthan, india, 2010
image © steve mccurry

steve mccurry: oltre lo sguardo
villa reale di monza, italy
now through april 6th, 2015

infilling the spacious rooms and neoclassically-decorated corridors at the exquisite villa reale di monza in italy are large-format images from american photographer steve mccurry‘s more than 30 year career, comprising approximately 150 pictures from his extensive travels throughout the globe. the exhibition ‘oltre lo sguardo’ presents an expansive and rich selection of portraits and photojournalistic imagery that exemplify mccurry‘s oeuvre and embody the visceral condition, cultural study and unforgettable quality for which he is widely celebrated.

designboom was invited to preview the remarkable display of curated work, carefully arranged and hung within the apertures of windows and door frames of the former royal home. we also had the opportunity to speak with mccurry about the importance of this exhibition, his overall relationship to the subjects of his portraiture and his recommendations for future generations of young photographers.

steve mccurry stands in front of ‘an elderly man from the rabari tribe’ at villa reale di monza
portrait © designboom

realized by civita and sudest57, the exhibition presents mccury’s most iconic and recent work in a new perspective, with the design and curation of photography by biba giacchetti and peter bottazzi deliberately interacting with the monumental architecture of the villa reale. images taken from all corners of the globe — from india to burma, afghanistan to cambodia, japan, italy, brazil and africa — are thematically connected around the theme of ‘looking beyond’, tying together portraits of people in a period of coming and going, movement and motion. the design of the exhibition accompanies the visitor through the emotional, personal and important cultural facets that make up mccurry’s world, with each semi-private space — formerly used as a residence — set around an iconographic theme. ladders infill the hallways, a reference to stage design and contemporary art installations, displaying carefully positioned photographs for the viewer to experience on a personal scale.

a portrait from tagong, tibet taken in 1999 is exhibited within an interior window frame at villa reale di monza
image © designboom

‘this is really a look back at my 40 years of photography.’ mcccurry tells designboom ‘we were trying to find a creative way to put my work into this extraordinary, incredible location. one of the vices we came up with was to try to look to my work and find a theme of windows and doors…portraits…people coming and going. so, we thought it was a clever way to show the work in the space — many of the doors and windows have photographs displayed within them. this is a look at my travels around asia and additionally, one of the rooms has the work of my lavazza 2015 calendar, which I’m very proud of. its all about preserving food in africa, the way people grow food and preserve their traditions. overall, the exhibition is part of my journey through the world, on various assignments.

exhibition view of ‘girl with green shawl’, peshawar, pakistan, 2002
image © designboom

the exhibition additionally presents the collection imagery that comprises the most recent collaboration between mccurry and italian coffee manufacturer lavazza for their 2015 calendar. mccurry has immortalized the soul and strength of humanity in a series of 12 portraits of the ‘earth defenders’ who act as protagonists of the stories of everyday men and women who embody courage, pride and dedication to defend their projects in africa. ‘the african men and women you will get to know here, with their dreams, their products and their land, are wittiness of hope for change.’ the team at lavazza describe about the project’s intentions ‘irresponsible and careless consumption, one that fails to look at whose behind the product, can no longer be sustained. instead safeguarding food traditions is fundamental for a diverse development and better future.’

‘I am proud‘to be chosen by lavazza and slow food to realize the calendar for 2015’, mccurry says.‘ it has been an incredible journey, I learned a lot and I met amazing people who now think of as friends. we wanted to represent the dedication of these people to defend their food communities. it would be a shame to hide these unique traditions. just the idea of protecting them is the inspiration of this calendar dedicated to earth defenders and the african continent.’

ladders infill the hallways, framing a portrait of a welder in a ship-breaking yard taken in mumbai, india, 1994
image © designboom

‘for me a portrait is about connection. somehow you connect with a person, visually or emotionally.’ mccurry tells designboom about the interesting qualities he finds interesting in a subject ‘I’ve often believed that a person’s life stories are kind of written on their face. it’s magical, its mystical the way you can connect to a person, its hard to describe. you know it when you see it.’

installation view of ‘shoeshine boy’, lhasa, tibet, 1999 within the exhibition space of villa reale di monza
image © designboom

regarding the ubiquity of the internet and its affect on image reproduction and the work of a photographer, mccurry responds, ‘I think the great work will rise to the surface, there are millions of pictures being posted [to the internet] every day. for example, we can all write…write a poem or write a song…but the really special writing eventually gets recognized.’

steve mccurry speaking with men of suma tribe, omo valley, ethiopia, 2012
image © steve mccurry

children from kara tribe look through windows, omo valley, ethiopia, 2013
image © steve mccurry

installation view of ‘children from kara tribe look through windows, omo valley, ethiopia, 2013’ at villa reale di monza
image © designboom

workers on a steam locomotive, india, 1983
image © steve mccurry

camel and oil fields, kuwait, 1991
image © steve mccurry

‘a girl in a doorway’, afghanistan, 2003
image © steve mccurry

installation view of a portrait of a young boy pointing a gun at his head from alto churumazu, yanesha, peru, 2004
image by designboom / © steve mccurry

about steve mccurry:

steve mccurry has been a one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for more than 30 years, with scores of magazine and book covers, over a dozen books, and countless exhibitions around the world to his name. he was born in philadelphia, USA in 1950. he studied cinema and history at pennsylvania state university. originally he thought about producing documentaries, but soon he started to collaborate as a photographer for a local newspaper. after several years, he decided to travel to india and compose his first real portfolio with images of his journey. he then decided to stay in india for two years, and after the publication of his first important work on afghanistan, he began collaborating with some prestigious magazines including: time, life, newsweek, geo and national geographic. since then, mccurry has gone on to create stunning images over six continents and countless countries. his work spans conflicts, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary culture alike – yet always retains the human element that made his celebrated image of the afghan girl such a powerful image. mccurry has been recognized with some of the most prestigious awards in the industry, including the robert capa gold medal, national press photographers award, and an unprecedented four first prize awards from the world press photo contest, to name a few.

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