The new fair section focused on Vintage and Anonymous Photography
Launched in collaboration with Mercanteinfiera and Fabio Castelli, Vintage Photo Parma is a dedicated new section born from the growing international fascination with vernacular, anonymous, found, and orphaned photography within the collecting world.
The initiative captures fresh market shifts and expands the scope of vernacular photography. By carefully curating exhibition projects, the section bridges historical vintage prints with modern and contemporary artists.
This realm of photography remains an exciting, partially unexplored terrain for artists and curators alike, and holds powerful appeal for Mercanteinfiera’s audience, long recognized for its curiosity, multidisciplinary spirit, and openness to new visual horizons.
Understanding Vernacular, Anonymous, Found, and Orphaned Photography
Anonymous photography encompasses camera-based images created from the invention of the medium in 1826 up to December 31, 1999: a symbolic date marking the close of the analog era and the rise of the digital age.
Often produced for personal or documentary purposes, these images were never originally intended as “art.” Their value lies not in the identity of an unknown photographer, nor in the context of their creation, but in the intrinsic emotional and visual power of the image itself.
Whether preserved as a physical print, negative, slide, or album, each piece of anonymous photography serves as a tangible fragment of shared human archive.
Section Highlights & Curatorial Pillars
Adopting a contemporary lens tailored for collectors, exhibitors at Vintage Photo Parma will showcase artists and works structured around three core pillars:
- SELECTION & RECONTEXTUALIZATION
Works defined by the deliberate curation, isolation, or reimagining of pre-existing imagery.
- CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES
New creations by modern and contemporary artists who actively incorporate, manipulate, or appropriate anonymous photographs into their practice.
- HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHY
A broad survey spanning from the dawn of photography through the mid-20th century. This selection brings together both anonymous material and works by established makers, chosen purely for their visual strength and conceptual resonance rather than the artist’s signature.
SERGE PLANTUREUX
SERGE PLANTUREUX
Serge Plantureux, an expert in historic photography, Parisian bookseller and gallerist, and an official appraiser to the Paris Court of Appeal, has dedicated over thirty years to the research, study, and trade of rare books and original vintage photographs.
LIBRERIA ANTIQUARIA SONIA NATALE
SONIA NATALE
Based in Rome, the Libreria Antiquaria Sonia Natale has specialized in rare books, engravings, and both historic and contemporary photography for over 20 years. With a focus on social photography and photojournalism, it handles materials from private archives as well as anonymous photographs.
SPAZIO E IMMAGINI
SPAZIO E IMMAGINI
Founded in Bologna in 2017 as a space dedicated to photography and imagery for collectors and enthusiasts, the gallery specializes in original vintage photos, documentary photography, and vernacular images dating from the late 19th century to the 1990s.
THY LAB
THY LAB
The Hong Kong presence, with Chinese artists working with anonymous photography, highlights the international scope of a research where cross-cultural dialogue finds a common, deeply poetic, and ground for exchange.
SERGIO SMERIERI
SERGIO SMERIERI
Founder of the GU.PHO. International Festival of Vernacular Photography in 2022, Sergio Smerieri is a photographer and photobook author who transforms vernacular material while leaving its original form completely unaltered. Among his latest projects: RIESUMATO and We went there before you.
S.T. SENZA TITOLO
S.T. SENZA TITOLO
Active in Rome since 2007, s.t. senza titolo is an antiquarian boutique specializing in 20th-century books, photographs, and works on paper. The collections feature vintage prints by master photographers, archives of active contemporary figures, and vernacular family albums.
