Matteo de Mayda photographs the fragility of Venetian salt marshes on display in Venice

From May 9 to June 15, 2025, the Panorama exhibition space in Venice hosts Una barena intera, a photographic project by Matteo de Mayda (Treviso,1984) curated by CAMERA - Centro Italiano per la Fotografia, in collaboration with FAF Toscana - Fondazione Alinari per la Fotografia. The initiative is part of the Surroundings cycle, now in its seventh round, and continues the reflection on the landscape and its transformations through the gaze of contemporary photography. De Mayda’s project stems from a collaboration with environmental research organizations active in the Venetian territory and focuses on the visual representation of salt marshes, typical lagoon formations made up of tabular landforms that emerge periodically depending on the tides. The areas, although little known to the general public, play an essential role in maintaining the ecological balance of the lagoon. The salt marshes, in fact, represent one of the most delicate ecosystems in the Venetian context, at once natural defenses against erosion and habitats for numerous wildlife species, particularly waterfowl. De Mayda’s choice to devote photographic research to these environments is part of a broader reflection on the transformation of the lagoon territory and the impact of human activities on the ecosystem. In Venice, a city that has always been at the center of historical and cultural routes, a symbolic place of the Grand Tour and today the destination of an often invasive mass tourism, the project photographs a parallel and less visible reality, located on the margins of the tourist circuit.

The work is developed through a methodology that combines a mosaic scan of the Barenal landscape with historical images from the Alinari photographic archives. The author reworks nineteenth-century material made by F. Coburn around 1890, depicting some of the bird species that inhabit the Venetian sandbanks. For the realization of the project, de Mayda relied on the scientific advice of ornithologist Alessandro Sartori, who helped define the ecological and faunal framework of the salt marshes, providing useful indications for understanding the ongoing environmental dynamics. The project was also developed with the support of the NGO We are here Venice, active in the protection of the lagoon and promoter of widespread awareness of sustainability issues, as part of initiatives called “Vital.”

The research was enriched through joint work with the archivists of the Fondazione Alinari per la Fotografia, who facilitated access to period archival materials useful in constructing the temporal comparison. Matteo de Mayda, a Veneto-based photographer active on social and environmental issues, has long pursued a visual practice that integrates documentary photography with transdisciplinary forms of research. Una barena intera thus stands out for its layered approach, combining archival images, naturalistic documentation, artistic gaze and scientific engagement. The exhibition represents not only a visual exploration of a little-known area of the lagoon, but also an attempt to activate in the public a sense of concern for an endangered ecosystem.

For more information, you can visit panoramavenezia.com or follow updates through the Instagram profile @panoramavenezia.

Notes about the artist

Matteo de Mayda lives and works in Venice. His photographic production focuses on social and environmental issues. His works have been presented in exhibition venues such as the Venice Architecture Biennale, MUFOCO, Milan Triennale, CAMERA Turin, Fotografia Europea, and the Design Museum in London. In 2019 he gave to the prints Era Mare (ed. bruno), dedicated to the Venetian high water. The following year, ARTRIBUNE listed him as the best young Italian photographer. In 2021 he was selected by CAMERA among the FUTURES talents and won the Italian Sustainability Photo Award (ISPA). 2022 marked his winning the British Journal of Photography International Award. In 2024 he published There’s no calm after the storm (brown ed.), an investigation of the repercussions of Storm Vaia, and Always Shine (self-published), a tribute to his mother. His work has appeared in Italian and international publications including The New York Times, Financial Times Magazine, Internazionale, M Le magazine du Monde, Zeit , and Vogue.

Matteo de Mayda photographs the fragility of Venetian salt marshes on display in Venice

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.