In focus: Celebrating Vogue Italia's iconic photography

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Vogue Italia has long pioneered forward-thinking fashion photography. Now the iconic magazine is celebrating the artistic medium in all its forms with a new five-day festival.

Held in venues across Milan, the event, chaired by Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani and directed by its senior photo editor Alessia Glaviano, spans exhibitions, lectures and conferences, each exploring the intersection between fashion and photography.

For the occasion, renowned Italian artist Vanessa Beecroft has put together a solo exhibition that showcases her innovative and unconventional approach. Incorporating rare Polaroids and sculptures, it demonstrates her focus on social critique and her ongoing investigations into the concept of female identity.

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Another of the festival's key exhibitions, The Female Gaze, subverts the traditional notion of women as muses or mere subjects, placing a focus instead on the female photographers that have revolutionised the art form, tracing their legacy through a chronological timeline of works from artists including Yelena Yemchuk, Aida Muluneh and Ellen von Unwerth.

As well as established names, the event is also an opportunity to discover new talent. Through PhotoVogue, the magazine's online platform and community for up-and-coming photographers, an international panel of experts has selected the best new fashion photographer to shoot an editorial spread for Vogue Italia. The winner, Kiki Xue, will have her work exhibited alongside 30 other selected artists.

Photo Vogue Festival takes place in venues across Milan from 22 to 26 November; vogue.it