The Trentino Unexpected Exhibition

The exhibition at the MUDEC in Milan

The exhibition route at MUDEC unfolds through more than 80 photographs, divided into five thematic sections: Boundaries, Verticality, Authenticity, Imprint, and Care.

Far from stereotypes and postcard imagery, Trentino Unexpected portrays places, gives voice to people, and lingers on social changes, identity roots, and the core values of the community that inhabits and safeguards the region.

Compared to the initial exhibition at the Mart—where the territorial connection is naturally more pronounced—the Milan chapter offers a new interpretation of the project, bringing the dialogue between photography and place into an urban and multicultural context like that of MUDEC. The exhibition design, once again curated by Denis Curti, enhances the narrative dimension of the project, connecting the landscapes of Trentino with the multiple identities that inhabit and traverse the city of Milan.

At the end of the exhibition path, 53 images and backstage video stories offer the public a glimpse into the research work carried out in Trentino.

The Trentino Unexpected project

From forests to castles, from glaciers to vineyards, Trentino is home to landscapes and stories, nature and production activities, panoramas and relationships. To portray this complex intertwining of regional elements, six professional photographers expertly relied on art, reportage and photojournalism: Simone Bramante, Francesco Jodice, Gabriele Micalizzi, Roselena Ramistella, Massimo Sestini and Newsha Tavakolian.

These artists were given the task of freely expressing their own point of view on Trentino through their own stylistic signature.

The result is the photographic volume Trentino Unexpected, edited by photography critic Denis Curti, and published by Gribaudo (a publisher of the Feltrinelli Group, Italy’s seventh largest publishing house specialised in miscellaneous and illustrated literature).

The images that enrich the almost two hundred pages of the book are accompanied by words, which introduce the different sections of the volume, and quotes ranging from Gae Aulenti to Arthur Schopenhauer, from Raymond Carver to Francesco Guccini, from Max Weber to Alcide De Gasperi.

COVER IMAGE: Massimo Sestini, "Senza titolo", 2024-2025, canvas Kandinsky 260 gr, stampa su vinile adesivo, 370 x 360 cm © Massimo Sestini

IMAGE GALLERY (from top left)
1. Parco Fluviale Novella, photography Simone Bramante
2. Mano di fabbro, Luciano e Ivano Zanoni, photography Gabriele Micalizzi
3. Veduta da Castel Pergine, photography Newsha Tavakolian
4. Arte Sella Borgo Valsugana, photography Francesco Jodice
5. Biolago di Predazzo, photography Massimo Sestini
6. Area faunistica del cervo a Caoria, photography Roselena Ramistella