The Flip Side Of A Silver Coin

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Marina Dego, Italy
• Instagram
  https://www.instagram.com/marinadego_photography/

“Abandon every hope, ye who enter here” Dante, Inferno
It’s a dark world the one that lies underneath Potosí. Pitch black, in stark contrast with the intense light that fills every corner of one of the highest cities in the world. It is estimated that over 8 million people have died in Cerro Rico’s mines since silver was discovered in 1545. A huge price to pay to satisfy the insatiable hunger of precious metals and minerals which sadly did not diminish with the twilight of the Spanish empire and it is today a cause of conflict and deaths in our so-called developed world.

Photography is a relatively new language, for me. Although it has always been part of how I express myself, the awareness I knew very little about it hit me a couple of year ago. I therefore enrolled in an intensive course about visual and written ways to create a narrative, and how to tell meaningful stories. Since then, the realisation I will never finish learning is occasionally overwhelming, but a huge push to continue along this exciting journey. After completing photographic workshops in South America and Europe, I am currently developing projects based on my experiences.

Awards • September 2024: two photos selected for the Open Call Humans by BestSelected
• October 2024: Open Call Triptych for the festival Narnimmaginaria and exposition in Narni, with the project “The Cost of Freedom”
• October 2024: Open Call The Double City, Mention of Honour, with the project “Manaus, the other face of Amazonia”, with exposition in Trieste during the Trieste Photo Days Festival and publishing
• Selected by Harry Gruyaert among the 36 finalists for the call Projects at Trieste Photo Days
• January 2025: project included in the BestSelected book, vol.8