During the 13th edition of MIA Photo Fair, held at the Allianz MiCo from April 11 to 14, 2024, Italian collectors were the protagonists of the major exhibition “The frame of relationships,” curated by Rica Cerbarano, journalist, and writer. Set up by the Lissoni & Partners architectural studio at the center of the fair, the exhibition presented a unique selection of over 50 works from the most important Italian private collections, celebrating the relational impact of photography.

The exhibited photographic projects were the result of a deep connection between the authors and the subjects of the images: relationships woven in the family environment (as seen in the works of Ettore Sottsass and Efrem Raimondi from the BDC Collection – Bonanni Del Rio Catalog), in fragile and underrepresented communities to which artists often belong (such as Zanele Muholi from the Enzo Nembrini Collection), and those that tie photographers to inspirational figures they have a relationship of affection (see Bruna Esposito from the Donata Pizzi Collection) or admiration (including portraits of artists by Robert Mapplethorpe and Man Ray from the Ettore Molinario Collection, or those by Jacopo Benassi from the Roberto Spada Collection).

At the same time, collaborations between authors working as duos or collectives were celebrated, highlighting the importance of interpersonal exchange in the artistic process (as with Bernd & Hilla Becher from the Paolo Clerici Collection and The Cool Couple from the Maria and Massimiliano Stocco Collection), as well as the creation of collective projects, the result of active participation by the photographed subjects (for example, through the works of Vanessa Beecroft and Maurizio Cattelan from the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection).

On display, there were 54 authors of acclaimed international prestige, all of whom prove the inestimable value of Italian private collections, repositories of an important part of the history of photography.

Encounters, exchanges, relationships, and connections were the focal point of the works on display and an invitation to reconsider the parameters by which to define the validity of a photographic project, which goes beyond aesthetic impact, its economic value, and artistic research for its own sake.

Thus, the deeply human side of the process behind each artwork emerged. Through an exhibition path that highlighted the human stories of the two converging worlds of photography and collecting, a way of understanding the photographic image as a unique tool of relationship was made explicit, capable of originating authentic and meaningful perspectives.