I'm thrilled to announce that the Cobalt Chapter from the "Critical Minerals - Geography of Energy” project has been selected as a finalist at the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards.
I am delighted to announce that I will unveil four new pieces from the "Critical Minerals - Geography of Energy" series at Arte Fiera 2024 at Galleria Valeria Bella.
I enjoyed attending the National Geographic Festival in Milan, whose theme this year was “Capitale Naturale” (Natural Capital)…
"100 River OB" will be displayed at Galleria Valeria Bella, boot E05, on the occasion of Paris Photo, from November 9th to November 12th, 2023.
Last year, I had the honor to be invited to the TEDX Milano to talk about my experience documenting the development of science to reach a cleaner future and to raise awareness about the current dynamics of the energetic green transition. The recording of the live evening is finally available online, and it can be seen here.
Last year, I embarked on multiple trips throughout Europe with my team to visit some of the leading institutions in the field of CCUS technologies. The result of this work is now released in the National Geographic Magazine’s November issue as a cover story.
A few weeks ago I spent a couple of days documenting the innovative and young company Alps Blockchain, on assignment for Wired.
In the beautiful scenery of the Italian Alps, I got to know a new, interesting entrepreneurial reality that will probably go a long way in its chosen field.
An image of my long-term project "Sinomocene" has been included in Prix Pictet's publication "Human", a selection of outstanding photographs by both shortlisted and non-shortlisted nominees that best reflect the current cycle's theme.
Published by Hatje Cantz the publication includes a foreword by Sir David King, Chairman of the Prix Pictet Jury, together with essays by David Christian & Meehan Crist.
I had the pleasure to be invited to Langhe Photo Festival, in Neive (CN), to exhibit a selection of my work Sinomocene and to hold a lecture, on September 3rd.
Exploitation of Natural Resources 02
This third Dossier is dedicated to oil and gas photo books from the Artphilein Library collection. It is part of our long-time research and collection of documentation of the exploitation of natural resources (in 2022 the first chapter was dedicated to mining rocks, minerals and coal). By viewing the books on display, scrolling through the images of the covers of the books reproduced here with a short caption, reading Davide Monteleone’s text, looking at his photographs, as well as Marco D’Anna’s disturbing shots featured at the beginning and end of this publication, the viewer will get a much clearer idea of the many problems and risks associated with the exploitation of oil and gas.
On the occasion of the 2023 edition of Photo London I will exhibit the first edition of “100 River Ob” at the stand of the Valeria Bella Gallery.
On the occasion of the review 'Photobooks | Dialogues on books and images' curated by Giulia Viale, I will present the book “Sinomocene” at the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa together with Matteo Macor.
I will be one of the speakers at TEDXMILANO where I will discuss my assignment in progress about CO2 for National Geographic and my experience as a visual storyteller covering climate and energy issues.
I will be signing my new book Sinomocene published by Artphilein at Polycopies in Paris during Paris Photo on Friday November 14th at 5pm.
“The landscapes in Davide Monteleone’s images of China’s belt and road initiative are very familiar to me. We can see desert, uninhabited wasteland and views along the Yangtze River and in north-west China. There are also photographs showing the characters “Stay strong, Wuhan!” on skyscrapers in neon lights.
They are reminiscent of images I took in China, which captured dilapidated cities before they were rebuilt; energy plants; the development of impoverished areas and large-scale architecture. […]
Monteleone’s photographs are broad in scope and encompass many stories and strange landscapes. The Italian photographer began his project in Russia in 2014 before visiting vast rail and road projects across Asia; container ports; factories; casinos; and the Grand Renaissance dam in Ethiopia. The images clearly depict China’s strategic ambitions, very different from the original Silk Road, which operated from around 130BC until the mid-15th century. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes, whereas the belt and road initiative embeds a political ambition beyond commerce. The issue in question here is: who will be the centre of the world? Who will rise to world power?”
Ai Weiwei
“While there has been concern raised in the West, recently, regarding a possible end of Globalization as we know it, Davide Monteleone’s long-term project investigates the immense efforts by China to reshape the global movement of goods, services and capital by an infrastructure initiative known as “Belt and Road” or “New Silk Road”, and by doing so tilt the geopolitical balance towards the East. However, there is a certain break between the economic and geopolitical processes at work and how they are manifested in the real world. Much of it remains simply invisible or is too all-encompassing to be pictured, which poses a challenge to an artist working in photography and interested in presenting us with more than the facts. But Monteleone finds intriguing images that back up his extensive research and rich data that informs his stunning photographs.”
"Sinomocene" is a data-driven investigation that takes its cue from the documentation of the Chinese initiative known as "Belt and Road" to investigate more widely on issues of new forms of colonialism, globalisation and relation between Powers and individuals. The work focuses on the social and environmental impact of large movements of money capital linked to geopolitical strategies at the global and local levels. Announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, BRI is a 1 trillion USD investment to lay the foundations for long-term economic growth across developing economies.
The book, published by Artphilein Editions is the result of 8 years of work and contains texts by Ai Weiwei, Viraj Parikh, Miriam Zlobinski.
it will be available by the end of August.
I’m honoured to announce that my proposal “Critical Minerals and Energy Switch” received a two-year grant from the National Geographic Society. The project is a multichapter and collaborative visual investigation into the roots of the new industrial revolution underway: the switch to renewable energy. The initial part of the project will focus on the geopolitical, social and environmental implications of skyrocketing demand for critical minerals necessary to archive renewable energy’s goal.
“The landscapes in Davide Monteleone’s images of China’s belt and road initiative are very familiar to me. We can see desert, uninhabited wasteland and views along the Yangtze River and in north-west China. There are also photographs showing the characters “Stay strong, Wuhan!” on skyscrapers in neon lights.
They are reminiscent of images I took in China, which captured dilapidated cities before they were rebuilt; energy plants; the development of impoverished areas and large-scale architecture. […]
Monteleone’s photographs are broad in scope and encompass many stories and strange landscapes. The Italian photographer began his project in Russia in 2014 before visiting vast rail and road projects across Asia; container ports; factories; casinos; and the Grand Renaissance dam in Ethiopia. The images clearly depict China’s strategic ambitions, very different from the original Silk Road, which operated from around 130BC until the mid-15th century. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes, whereas the belt and road initiative embeds a political ambition beyond commerce. The issue in question here is: who will be the centre of the world? Who will rise to world power?”
Ai Weiwei