LONDON – The centuries-old tradition of pig slaughter and the ancient Japanese ritual of drying fish. These are the two moments immortalized by the cameras of Diego Marinelli and Matteo Alberti, the Italians among the winners of the Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year, one of the major international competitions dedicated to the world of food photography. Italy itself achieved great success at the awards ceremony which brought together stars from the world of cuisine and art at the Mall Galleries in London, where photos of the winners were also exhibited. Among the thousands of applications received from over 65 countries around the world, Italy recorded the highest number of selected with a total of 19 finalist images, including 2 category wins.
Diego Marinelli obtained first place in the “Europe” category with the shot entitled The Pig’s Testament. “The slaughter of the pig is a true ritual of Italian peasant culture,” she explained. In my photo I wanted to immortalize the sense of respect that the elderly man shows towards the sacrificed animal. I hope the image makes us reflect on how man’s relationship with food has changed over the last few decades.” Matteo Alberti instead he won the “Food Influencer” category with Hanging Buri, telling the story of the moment in which Japanese fishermen process their catch. “Buri is a Japanese term to describe this very ancient ritual,” she adds from Kanazawa, where she runs a restaurant. Hanging by the tail with rice straw ropes, the fish are first salted and then left to dry for about ten days in front of their homes, exposed to the sea breeze.” The other Italian photographers selected for second and third places in the category or who received special mentions were Carla Sutera Sardo, Guido Caltabiano, Diego Marinelli, Sandro Maddalena, Alessandra Manzotti, Marina Spironetti, Judith Balari, Cristina Burns, Pier Luigi Dodi, Alessandra Bartoloni and Michela Balboni.
All nominated during the final gala by Andi Oliver, chef and well-known face of the English small screen, who also announced the overall winner: the Chinese photographer Zhonghua Yang with “Red Bean Paste Balls”. The photo was taken in the rural area of Xiangshan during the frenetic preparations for the Spring Festival, also known as Lunar New Year, where thousands of dim sum, rice noodle dumplings filled with steamed red beans, are prepared and served. prepared exclusively by hand according to the most ancient tradition. All the winning photos, including the two Italian ones by Marinelli and Alberti, will remain on display until 9 June at the Mall Galleries in London with free entry. Otherwise online.
v
