“The Osservatorio, a new exhibition space dedicated to photography and visual languages, is located in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. The Osservatorio’s inaugural exhibition “Give Me Yesterday” was  curated by Francesco Zanot. The show includes works by 14 Italian and international artists (Melanie Bonajo, Kenta Cobayashi, Tomé Duarte, Irene Fenara, Lebohang Kganye, Vendula Knopova, Leigh Ledare, Wen Ling, Ryan McGinley, Izumi Miyazaki, Joanna Piotrowska, Greg Reynolds, Antonio Rovaldi, Maurice van Es), and explores the use of photography as a personal diary over a period of time ranging from the early 2000s through today.

In a context characterized by the pervasive presence of photography devices and an uninterrupted circulation of images produced and shared through digital platforms, a generation of young artists has transformed the photographic diary into a instrument to focus on their own daily lives and intimate, personal rituals. Familiar with work by artists such as Nan Goldin and Larry Clark in the United States, or Richard Billingham and Wolfgang Tillmans in Europe, the photographs presented in “Give Me Yesterday” turn the immediacy and spontaneity of documentary style into an extreme control over the gaze of those who observe and are observed. This creates a new diary in which instant photography is mixed with exhibition photography, imitating the repetitive cataloguing of the internet and employing the performative component of images to affirm individual or collective identities.” — Fondazione Prada

All images are views of the exhibition “Give Me Yesterday” at Fondazione Prada Osservatorio, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Photos by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti. Courtesy Fondazione Prada.

Ryan McGinley, Dakota (Hair), 2004

From left to right: Ryan McGinley, Jake (Floor); 2004; Tim Falling, 2003; Dakota (Hair), 2004

From left to right: Maurice van Es, Ryan McGinley, Wen Ling, Leigh Ledare

From left to right: Ryan McGinley, Wen Ling, Leigh Ledare

From left to right: Leigh Ledare, Mom As Baby Jane, 2004. Vendula Knopová, Tutorial, 2015. Maurice van Es, To Me You Are a Work of Art, 2011

From left to right: Joanna Piotrowska, XXI Frowst, 2013-2014. Irene Fenara, Ho preso le distanze, 2013. Tomé Duarte, Camera Woman, 2015

From left to right: Tomé Duarte, Camera Woman, 2015. Izumi Miyazaki, Izumimiyazaki.tumblr.com, 2016. Melanie Bonajo, Thank You for Hurting Me I Really Needed It, 2008-2016

On the left: Melanie Bonajo, Thank You for Hurting Me I Really Needed It, 2008-2016

Installation view of the exhibition “Give Me Yesterday”

On the left: Ryan McGinley, Gloria, 2003

From left to right: Kenta Cobayashi, Greg Reynolds, Antonio Rovaldi, Ryan McGinley

From left to right: Joanna Piotrowska, Kenta Cobayashi

Antonio Rovaldi, Orizzonte in Italia (dalla serie), 2011-2015