Pensiero Paesaggio Association was founded in January 2022 in Paola, Calabria, with the mission of promoting photography as an integral part of the culture, art and customs of its time and region. Deeply rooted in the Calabrian context, the Association actively collaborates with local public and private stakeholders to highlight the region’s ancient traditions and rich cultural heritage, using photography as a tool for storytelling and artistic expression. To fulfil its mission, the Association organises festivals, cultural events, workshops and educational activities, whilst also promoting training courses on photographic techniques, aimed at both industry professionals and beginners. These activities engage a broad and diverse audience: schools, children, young people, adults and people in vulnerable situations. In 2022, the Association launched the first edition of the Fotografia Calabria Festival, an innovative event for the region, which was met with great acclaim and high attendance right from the start. This was followed by three further editions, which enabled the Association to expand its exhibition spaces, strengthen partnerships with national and international organisations, and transform the festival into a veritable hotbed of art and innovation. At the same time, the programme of pre-festival activities has been expanded to include workshops for children and young people, artist residencies and vocational training courses.

Since its foundation, the Pensiero Paesaggio Association has embarked on a process of expansion and development of projects and initiatives of international significance that help to promote Italian photography and to foster and support emerging talent. Among these is the recent collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Singapore, through which a cultural partnership has been established to work in synergy and cooperate on the development of photography projects. This cooperation will enable the organisation of a two-week photography residency in Singapore. The selection process for the residency involved a call for applications from young Italians aged between 18 and 35, with an excellent command of English and a willingness to undertake a highly formative experience offering professional development and cultural exchange in an international setting. The selected photographer will therefore benefit from a highly innovative hub, made accessible thanks to the coverage of travel, board and lodging expenses during the residency. This opportunity was conceived and realised thanks to the support and cooperation of DECK, a leading centre for contemporary photography based in Singapore, which aims to promote visual literacy by championing diversity and showcasing all facets of contemporary arts and photography to the widest possible audience. Furthermore, DECK organises the Singapore International Photography Festival, one of the longest-running biennial international platforms dedicated to photography in South- East Asia. The collaboration with Singapore has helped to expand the network internationally, fostering the exchange of cultures, knowledge and best practice, and creating connections between different countries. The Fotografia Calabria Festival was also presented at the EUNIC meeting of the European Union’s National Cultural Institutes, attended by numerous representatives from the European Cultural Institutes in Rome, and at the YEX – Young Entrepreneurs eXperience in Zurich, an event dedicated to young professionals and entrepreneurs, where the Fotografia Calabria Festival was highlighted as a key attraction capable of boosting tourist arrivals from Switzerland, whilst sharing the rich heritage of stories, culture and innovation that characterise the Calabria region.