Photography on stage at the Cine Teatro Rex with the young talents of the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania

The project titled “Photography on Stage” is conceived and curated by Carmen Cardillo, a Photography instructor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania, sponsored by the Academy and realized in collaboration with the cultural association ArchiDrama. The exhibition is hosted by the historic, recently renovated Cine Teatro Rex in Giarre, under the artistic direction of Alfio Zappalà. Designed for the Academy's students and the Ionian-Etna territory, the initiative aims to intensify the dialogue between educational institutions and cultural venues, fostering exchange, growth, and participation.

The project presentation took place at the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania in the presence of Carmelo Nicosia (coordinator of the Photography Course), Alfio Zappalà (artistic director of the Cine Teatro Rex), and Carmen Cardillo (curator of the exhibition). Also participating in the meeting were Carmelo Bongiorno, coordinator of the School of New Technologies of Art, and Egidio Liggera, Fashion Photography instructor, enriching the discussion with additional contributions and insights.

“Photography on Stage” is configured as a cultural and educational exhibition that recognizes photography as an artistic language of the present and a meeting ground for young authors, professionals, visual artists, scholars, and the public. The calendar includes agile appointments dedicated to the presentation of projects and direct dialogue in the hall. The protagonists are young photographers, students, and alumni of the Academy, invited to share their work and engage with students, teachers, and industry operators. Every Wednesday, the Cine Teatro Rex will become a space for storytelling, listening, and shared reflection. Five meetings are scheduled, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, with free admission until seats are filled:

March 25, 2026: Francesco Di Giovanni in dialogue with Carmelo Nicosia

April 1, 2026: Andrea Valisano and Chiara Marchese in dialogue with Carmelo Bongiorno

April 8, 2026: Roberta Guarnera in dialogue with Egidio Liggera

May 6, 2026: Ivan Terranova in dialogue with Rosario Antoci

May 13, 2026: presentation of the portfolios of the Students of the Photography Department of the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania, including Erika Allia, Gabriele Argentino, Martina Flores, Edoardo Angelo Orlando, and Giuseppe Di Bartola

“This type of initiative - states Alfio Zappalà (Artistic Director of the Cine Teatro Rex in Giarre) - falls within the objectives of enhancing all artistic languages within a much broader project than that strictly related to film or live performance activities: we intend to make the Cine Teatro Rex a cultural and artistic agora of the territory. In this specific case, namely in the case of the project “Photography on Stage”, the prestigious partnership with the Academy of Fine Arts of Catania and the curatorship of Professor Carmen Carmen, an excellence profile of our territory, further refines this objective of ours, adding value to our process of ideation, planning, and management of initiatives in the fields of art, culture, and entertainment.”

“In the contemporary cultural landscape - declares Prof. Carmen Cardillo -, the collaboration between educational institutions and cultural spaces is increasingly central to creating dialogue, growth, and sharing, especially for the new generations of artists. The Academy of Fine Arts in Catania promotes the project “Photography on Stage”, enthusiastically welcomed by the Director, Prof. Gianni Latino, and the Coordinator of the Department of Photography, Prof. Carmelo Nicosia. Alfio Zappalà, artistic director of the Cine Teatro Rex, has proposed making this important space available for our Ionian-Etnean territory, a cultural space that effectively becomes a space for full cultural sharing, indeed, opening its doors to the Academy. The project is expressed in the title, featuring young artists and talents from our territory who have attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania, distinguishing themselves over the years for conducting not only professional photographic artistic activities but, with great commitment and courage, an artistic research activity. In detail - adds Prof. Carmen Cardillo -, the former students of the Academy will each present their artistic portfolio, sharing their personal artistic experience, their “poetics”. What we want to communicate to the public is that those who, after their studies, decide to pursue an artistic career do so with extreme discipline, following an active cultural research deep within the spirit of their time, highlighting contradictions and various and profound aspects of our society. The themes addressed range from the city and the territory to identity and memory, up to the social and cultural transformations of the present, with references and suggestions also drawn from cinematic language. In the last meeting, seven young students will present their best portfolios created during their academic journey, projects that have emerged and have also been exhibited in national spaces. Projects that we believe tell an important story related to our present, a narrative through images that, we hope, will raise numerous questions, which will lead to dialogue precisely because after the screening, we reiterate, there will be space for a debate with the colorful audience animated by the involvement of schools and, in particular, the “Guttuso” Artistic High School in Giarre.”