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Utopia: a perfect place or no place?

The winner of the Artphilein Photobook Contest 2024 is Mara Palena with the project Things that happen inside and outside of me.
The Contest grants the winner with the production of a photobook to be published by Artphilein Editions, a residency and an exhibition at the Artphilein Library space in Lugano/Paradiso.

Every utopian vision shares the belief in a possible change, in a different future. However, the definition and understanding of utopia are inherently ambiguous and indefinite on multiple fronts, starting from its etymology – eu (good) + topos or ou (non) + topos – to connected meanings and concrete implementations: is it positive or negative? Is it a connotation of a desirable future or mere criticism of the present? Is it a projection of a fantastic vision or a dangerous totalitarian drift? Is it a better elsewhere or the worst solution?
Despite the repeated failures of past utopias – be they political, social or ideological – while fully aware of this uncertainty, we continue to be attracted by unreality and unfeasibility, by technological, ecological and communal utopias, by the chimera of a perfect place or a non-existent one.


In a historical moment of crisis and conflict, the theme of utopia is alive and kicking, offering a variety of interpretations and approaches to the search for a better future. 
How does contemporary photography confront utopian visions and dimensions today?

The jury, composed of Michela Becchis, Caterina De Pietri, Anne Nwakalor, and Ronald Pizzoferrato, has awarded Palena’s project, which reflects on the role and relationships between art and scientific research in a contemporary context where utopia is envisioned as a society free from suffering and conflict.
Art often serves the purpose of addressing the social dysfunctions of our time, prompting reflections on various levels with the ability to create new forms and relationships across different fields – Mara Palena
Through an intimate and profound visual exploration, the project delves into the themes of memory, trauma, and pain, using images that are at times dreamlike and ethereal, inspired by EMDR therapy (“Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing”). This psychological method, developed to desensitize traumatic memories and alleviate states of anxiety and phobia, reflects the artist’s quest to bring forth the intimate connections between personal pain and collective awareness.
With the aim of raising awareness about the therapeutic potential of art, Palena incorporates archival materials reworked through artificial intelligence, crystallizing moments of strong emotional impact.
Palena’s work stands out for its originality and strong editorial potential, which is why it was selected from over 700 submissions.

Mara Palena (b. 1988) lives in Milan. Co-founder of FIORIARTIFICIALI and EXT. ANGST. Her research focuses on themes such as memory, remembrance and identity. Using photography, video and sound, her work aims to involve the viewer in immersive experiences. Reworking archival material, she seeks a link between personal and collective, between introspection and connection. Her work has been exhibited in various festivals, spaces and galleries such as: MOPLA, Los Angeles; Art on Paper, Lugano; IIC, Madrid; Careof, Marsèll Paradise, Pananti Atelier, NOWHERE Gallery, Milan; Recontemporary, Turin; Guardian Art Center, Beijing.

Congratulations to the ten finalists of the Contest: David Nana Opoku Ansah, Manuel Pérez Barba, Alessandro Bo, Nils Böddingmeier, José Herrera, Paula Humberg, Alisa Martynova, Mara Palena, Louis Roth, Tianyu Wang. And a special thanks to all the participants.