OPENING OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION “ORA LAVORO. STORIE DI PERSONE E POSSIBILITÀ” BY RAFFAELE MONTEPAONE

Friday, September 26th, at 6:00 p.m.; Polo del ‘900, Piazzetta Franco Antonicelli 

Event in partnership with Agenzia Piemonte Lavoro, Ismel, and Polo del ‘900

Twenty photographs by Raffaele Montepaone offer a closer look on the activities of the regional institution Agenzia Piemonte Lavoro within the two placement centers in Turin, set in Via Bologna and Via Castelfidardo. These places are little known in all their complexity, working every day alongside people to build professional life projects, facilitate job placement, identify profiles that match businesses’ needs, and oppose unemployment among those in disadvantaged conditions or with disabilities.

Montepaone’s lens has captured some significant moments in this invaluable free public service, which plays a fundamental role in supporting the development of human capital in a metropolitan city as Turin is. In addition to the work of the placement centers, which are the hub of multiple connections built around people day by day, the photos focus on one of the numerous projects generated by the network, Forza Mamme! , and on one of the many synergies interwoven, specifically the one with Spazio Comune .

These images convey commitment, professionalism, listening skills, and creativity in developing responses to the different needs of people who turn to placement centers: from reception to front desk activities, from special projects dedicated to women with economic and working vulnerabilities to a focus on job placement of former unaccompanied minors.

A microcosm that is also a tapestry of personal stories, narrating struggles, successes despite everything, professional fulfillment, and building a new life thanks to work

Exhibition presented by Raffaele Montepaone.

Last day of exhibition: October 4th.

Admission method: free access.

ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER

Raffaele Montepaone was born in Vibo Valentia on May 20th, 1980. His passion for photography began very early: when he was just 12 years old, he started spending time at his family’s photography studio, where he mainly focused on its technical and theoretical aspects.

He then started moving toward reportage and anthropological photography. His work is an intimate humanistic exploration that was already evident in his first project, which he continues to work on.

A true hymn to life, starting with its title Life , in which he recounts, through eyes, faces, and hands marked by time, old Calabria and its dignified beauty.

Awarded at the FIOF 2014, receiving a Honorable Mention at Fiof 2015, that same year he won the Special Award Talent Prize 2015, which allowed him to exhibit his work Memoria at the Pietro Canonica Museum in Rome. In addition, in November 2015, he exhibited in Paris at the Caroussel du Louvre gallery Spazio Farini 6. In March 2016, Christie’s auctioned one of his works alongside those of the great artists, a work that was included in Christie’s volume Personaggi e Paesaggi d’ìtalia .

That same year, AFI (Italian Photographic Archive) organized his solo exhibition in Legnano for the European Photography Festival, widely acclaimed by international critics.

In July 2017, the book Life was published with a preface by Ferdinando Scianna, while in October he exhibited at the Marca Museum of Contemporary Art in Catanzaro with the solo exhibition Oltre gli Stereotipi . In 2018, he exhibited at the National Library of Turin; in 2019, he exhibited at the Les Bernardes Cultural Center in Salt de Girona, Spain, and with a solo exhibition at the Ferrero Foundation in Alba.

In 2024, in close collaboration with Agenzia Piemonte Lavoro, he created the Intimate WorldSkills exhibition, closely following the long and intense preparation of the five competitors for the WorldSkills World Championships in Lyon in 2024. The exhibition was presented in Turin and Vercelli, as part of the Job Film Days off-site initiatives, and at the IOLAVORO job fair , an event organized by Agenzia Piemonte Lavoro and promoted by the Piedmont Region, funded by the European Social Fund.