The Andy Rocchelli Grant is an international award promoted by CESURA in the name of its cofounder Andy Rocchelli, photojournalist killed in Ukraine in 2014. Andy was an irreplaceable firestarter, and to make sure that his values as a photographer and as a man can continue to burn, we have decided to establish a grant in his name.
The aim is to identify the best unpublished photographic dummy and award the winner with the production and publication of the book by Cesura Publish, in full freedom of expression, as Andy would have wanted.
The jury will meet in September 2021 to select a short list of finalists. In December 2021, the winning book will be announced.

The first edition of the grant is a project promoted and supported by Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea del Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali e per il turismo.

 

Download the guidelines here

First Edition Winner

First Edition Winner

KANTA NOMURA - The Yoshida dormitory student’s history

We are pleased to announce that the first winner of the Andy Rocchelli Grant is KANTA NOMURA with The Yoshida dormitory student’s history.

The Yoshida Dormitory is a self-governing dormitory that has been run by students themselves for a long time. It was also a place where a lot of people from inside and outside of the university gathered for the performance of plays and music and fostered student culture. In recent years, the dormitory students have been at odds with the university, which has been demanding that they all leave the dormitory due to the building’s age. However, in April 2019, the university finally filed a lawsuit against the dormitory students, demanding that they vacate the building. The dormitory students disagreed. They have asked for a withdrawal, but the conflict continues.

Special Mention

Special Mention

MIKHAIL BUSHKOV - Zürich

“Zürich Is a documentary work that started 10 years ago when I and my wife moved from our hometown of
Rostov-on-Don, Russia to Zürich, Switzerland.
I gradually found myself stuck between two places – the “old” home and the “new” home. The memories of the old one fading and the reality of the new one becoming familiar.
The book focuses heavily on my “small” and “big” family and on what it means to be a family.”

Special mention

Special mention

ANGELO VIGNALI - How to raise a hand

“After my father’s death, as I approached the enormous archive of photographs and drawings produced by him throughout his life, I found a cardboard box containing cutouts of photographs of his fingers: 313 black and white handmade prints.
This discovery led me to reshape his body of work to restore a dialogue with him, bringing back his presence through his hands.
The work uses archival photography, performance, and sculpture to explore the themes of family, memory, and loss. It is a search and longing for identity.”

Shortlisted dummies

Shortlisted dummies

Congratulations to the 15 shortlisted photographers!

Mikhail Bushkov (Switzerland/Russia) – Zurich
Haodi Chen (China) – Homemade
Mads Holm (Denmark) – Heartland
Tyler Klatt (USA) – An unbound photobook
Max Langer (Germany) – Duty in awkward Times
Tammy Law (Australia) – Cancelled and removed
Alessandro Mallamaci (Italy) – Un luogo bello
Virgilio Martini (Belgium) – Liquid life
Marisol Mendez (Bolivia) – Madre
Davit Nersisyan (Armenia) – Tears and cheers
Kanta Nomura (Japan) – The Yoshida dormitory student’s history
Bernhard Poscher (Austria) – Sad Socrates & happy pig
Malgorzata Sienkiewicz (Poland) – Silence
Alessandro Veronese (Italy) – The isolation of my mom
Angelo Vignali (Italy) – How to raise a hand

 

In the upcoming weeks our jury will meet to look at your dummies and choose the project that will be published by Cesura Publish. The winner will be announced in December. Thanks to everyone who participated to our grant.

About

About

The Andy Rocchelli Grant is an international award promoted by CESURA in the name of its cofounder Andy Rocchelli, photojournalist killed in Ukraine in 2014. Andy was an irreplaceable firestarter, and to make sure that his values as a photographer and as a man can continue to burn, we have decided to establish a grant in his name.
The aim is to identify the best unpublished photographic dummy and award the winner with the production and publication of the book by Cesura Publish, in full freedom of expression, as Andy would have wanted.
The jury will meet in September 2021 to select a short list of finalists. In December 2021, the winning book will be announced.

The first edition of the grant is a project promoted and supported by Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea del Ministero per i beni e le attività culturali e per il turismo.

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The closing date for applications is 15th September 2021 23.59 UTC+1 (extended deadline).

There’s no entrance fee, no theme and you can send your dummy both printed or PDF. Find out more on the grant guidelines here.

In memory of Andy

In memory of Andy

Andy Rocchelli was an Italian photographer, member and founder of CESURA.
He worked as a photojournalist for eight years, documenting Eastern Europe, the Arab Spring in Libya and Tunisia, human rights violations in Kyrgyzstan and Ingushetia. In Italy, he worked on the phenomenon of velinism and the relationship between migrants and organized crime. At the time of his death, near the city of Sloviansk in Ukraine on May 24th 2014, he was documenting the conditions of civilians trapped in the middle of the Donbass conflict. Russian Interiors, his photography book, was published posthumously by Cesura Publish. Andy was an example of integrity and fairness: in his work he was driven by great passion and constant determination, he lived it in a physical and intuitive way.
To this day, his values are still one of the pillars of our group. He had the ability to see great potential in the small things, and to make more with less.
A fundamental step in his research was printed editorial production, a means of completing and disseminating his work. Andy was an irreplaceable firestarter, and to make sure that his values as a photographer and as a man can continue to burn, we have decided to establish a Grant in his name and to allow an author or a new talent to create a photographic book in full freedom of expression, as Andy would have wanted.

Timeline

Timeline

24th May 2021
Grant presentation and application opening

15th September 2021 23.59 UTC+1 (extended deadline)
Closing date for applications

24th September 2021
Announcement of the finalists

December 2021
Winner announcement and photo book launch

 

Download the guidelines here

The jury

The jury

David Campany
curator, writer, and managing director of Programs at the International Center of Photography, New York

Tamara Corm
senior director at Pace gallery, London

Arianna Arcara
cofounder of CESURA, photographer and co-art director at Cesura Publish

Lucia Rocchelli
honorary jury member, architect

Alex Majoli
president of the jury, photographer, Magnum Photos member, cofounder of CESURA, and co-art director at Cesura Publish

 

Download the guidelines here