18th Edition of the Capri Photography Festival “Journeys and Mirages”

"18th Edition of the Capri Photography Festival “Journeys and Mirages”"

from Sunday, August 30, 2026 to Sunday, October 11, 2026

Cloister of the Certosa di San Giacomo, Capri

As part of the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the rediscovery of the Blue Grotto, the Capri Foundation commissioned photographer Paolo Ventura to create a photo essay for an exhibition. Always drawn to the enigmatic charm of the island of Capri, Paolo Ventura presents a new project inspired by the magic of the Blue Grotto, transforming myth and history into a visual narrative of extraordinary intensity.

The work began as an imaginary journey: the story of a shipwrecked man rescued and led to a paradise suspended between reality and dreams. To bring this story to life, Ventura adopts a unique approach, transforming himself into a true “inventor of magic tricks.” In his studio, far from the sea, he builds miniature worlds using handcrafted sets made of paper, cardboard, and fragments of memories. Silhouettes of sailors, hand-carved rock faces, and theatrical sets come together to form a poetic universe where artisanal craftsmanship blends with a rigorous artistic vision. Like a director or a puppeteer, Ventura masters every detail of the scene, orchestrating lighting, perspectives, and illusions to guide the viewer’s gaze.

The castaway emerging from the blue depths is merely an evoked presence. The work, created with simple materials, is an optical illusion. It transports the viewer into a suspended narrative dimension, where truth is revealed as artifice. The final moment coincides with the photograph, the “prestige” that dispels the illusion and restores it in the form of an image: a contemporary fairy tale, immortalized in large format. For Ventura, photography means delving into his own work and continuing to tell stories, while preserving a playful and imaginative dimension that engages with the viewer.