Photography and reading as a shared experience

On the evening of 9 February, Mascalucia experienced one of those rare moments when an everyday place stops being just somewhere you pass through and becomes a place of encounter, vision and community. In front of hundreds of participants, Ottagono once again became a living cultural hub, hosting the third stage of the Passaggi Photography Biennale 2025–2027 with the presentation of the exhibition “Stratificazioni” (Stratifications) by Angelo Zzaven, on show until April.

Zzaven's images inhabited the spaces with both discretion and strength. Stratificazioni is a journey that invites the eye to slow down, to linger on the layers of the visible and the invisible, on the traces that time, memory and experience leave on surfaces and bodies. The photographs converse with the setting and with those who pass through it, without imposing a single reading, but opening up questions, silences and intimate resonances. A visual narrative that fits coherently into the Biennale's path, confirming its vocation to take photography out of conventional spaces and into real life.

Adding further depth to the evening was the critical contribution of Pippo Pappalardo and his dialogue with the audience; his participation offered further keys to understanding Zzaven's work, guiding those present in a reflection on the meaning of the exhibition.

The same evening also saw the opening of “Passaggi di Carta” (Paper Passages), the new shared library of the pAssaggi project: a space dedicated to books and reading, located in one of Ottagono's outdoor seating areas. Curated by Alessandro Salerno, the library is conceived as a place for free consultation, with selected books and contributions from local publishers, created in collaboration with the historic Libreria La Paglia bookshop. An invitation to stop, browse and read: to experience time differently, in continuity with the visual experience offered by the exhibition.

The Passaggi project, promoted by the Lo Faro family and launched in 2021 with the support of maestro Benedetto Poma, has built a clear and coherent vision over time: opening the spaces of Ottagono and the neighbourhood to artistic and cultural cross-pollination capable of engaging with everyday life. Photography exhibitions, art installations, events, a shared library: every initiative helps to turn the bar, the street and the neighbourhood into a widespread gallery, accessible, lived-in and participatory.

The evening of 9 February clearly conveyed the deepest meaning of Passaggi: not simply a container for events, but an evolving cultural process in which art, people and places come together, leaving lasting marks.

In May it will be followed by Enrico La Bianca's exhibition "il circo delle sardine" (the sardine circus).

Video - La Sicilia - Live Sicilia