ABOUT

The third edition of the photography contest UNPUBLISHED PHOTO 2021 - UP21, promoted by MUSEC - Museo delle Culture of Lugano in collaboration with 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery in Milan, aimed at young talents in contemporary photography, is now open.

Since 2018, the project has attracted young photographers under 36 from all over the world. As promoter of this initiative, this year MUSEC is once again offering the finalists the opportunity to exhibit their work in a temporary exhibition - Unpublished Photo 2021 - set up in the Spazio Maraini at Villa Malpensata (Lugano, Switzerland) from September 23rd 2021 to February 27th 2022.

The exhibition is also an opportunity to attract collectors and photography enthusiasts and to let the public discover new trends and expressive languages of the contemporary scene.

A selection of UP21’s works will be published in an elegant photography booklet that further enriches the project.

Applicants can submit their thematic portfolios, consisting of 10 images, a description of the project and a short biography, within 28 June 2021 - the entry form is available online at the 29 Arts in Progress website.

A jury made up of leading figures from the world of art and photography will select four finalists from the international photography scene.

The first winner will receive a prize worth CHF 5.000. The De Pietri Artphilein Foundation, a non-profit organisation that supports culture and contemporary art with a variety of activities and initiatives, in particular highlighting the works of young artists, is a partner of the UP21 project and will publish a limited edition artist’s book dedicated to the work of one of the finalist photographers.At the end of the exhibition, the exhibited works will become part of the MUSEC collections, thus enriching the photography archive, with more than 40.000 works from the mid-19th century to the present day.

Jury members:
Hans Georg Berger – Photographer
Eugenio Calini – Co-founder of the 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery
Francesco Paolo Campione – Director of the Museo delle Culture, Lugano - MUSEC
Lorenza Castelli – Director of MIA Photo Fair
Caterina De Pietri – Director of De Pietri Artphilein Foundation
Flor Garduño – Photographer
Paolo Gerini – President of the Fondazione Ada Ceschin e Rosanna Pilone
Giovanna Palandri – Chancellor of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti
Giovanni Pelloso – Journalist and art curator

How to participate: All photographers under 36 years of age on 31.12.2021 are eligible to participate. Artists can submit their entries exclusively online until 28 June 2021 at the 29 Arts in Progress Gallery website- where you can also find all the information about the contest.Awards:The first prize winner will receive a prize worth CHF 5.000.

The De Pietri Artphilein Foundation with Artphilein Editions will publish a limited edition artist’s book dedicated to the work of one of the finalist photographer.