Sonia Lenzi is a photographer and multidisciplinary artist
Her artistic practice adopts an interdisciplinary approach and revolves around interrelated themes, concerning the sense of belonging, kinship, and memories of people and places. She uses photography to investigate, establish and recreate social relationships through signs, symbols, and gestures. She graduated initially in Philosophy at the University of Bologna, then from the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts with a degree in Painting, finally graduating in Law. Her photographic project, ‘It Could Have Been Me’ (2015), was shown in Bologna High Speed Railway Station. ‘Lares Familiares’ was first exhibited at the Archaeological Museum in Naples (2016), and then at the Italian Cultural Institute in London (2019). ‘Last Portrait’ was presented at the Women’s Art Library, Goldsmiths, University of London (2019). Take Me to Live with You. A Social Family Album’ at Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, Oregon, US (2021). A Place to Live (2023) at Focus Artphilein, Lugano, Switzerland. Monumenti Improbabili/Unlikely Monuments at Istituto Storico Parri of Bologna (2024). Her work is in a number of private and public collections. She lives in Bologna, Italy, and works internationally.
EXHIBITIONS
MONUMENTI IMPROBABILI/UNLIKELY MONUMENTS - Istituto Storico Parri - Art Bologna City 2024
A PLACE TO LIVE. Focus Artphilein, Lugano, Switzerland, 21st September - 30th November 2023
CIVILIZATION. The WAY WE LIVE NOW. Saatchi Gallery, London, 2 nd June - 23rd September 2023
Scolpite - Donne Fotografe - Palazzo Reale, Milan - July 2021
(Re) Framing our Identities, Art City/Arte Fiera 2020, Camera del Lavoro di Bologna
(Un) Framing our Identities, RPS, Old Telephone Hub, London, May-July 2019
LARES FAMILIARES, Italian Cultural Institute, London, 21st March - 30 April 2019
THE FAMILY of NO MAN, Cosmos, Les Rencontres de La Photographie, Arles, 2nd - 7th July 2018
NAPOLI TRA SPIRITUALITA' E DESIDERIO DI RISCATTO/LARES FAMILIARES, MLB Home Gallery, Ferrara, 29th September - 22nd October 2017.
FENOMEN FOTOLLIBRE, CCCB, Foto Colectania, with the photobook AVREI POTUTO ESSERE IO/IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME, Barcellona 17th March - 27th August 2017
PRENDIMI A VIVERE CON TE/TAKE ME TO LIVE WITH YOU, Fondazione Carlo Gajani, Art City, Bologna, January 2017, testo di/essay by Roberta Valtorta.
LARES FAMILIARES, Museo Archeologico di Napoli. Exhibition curated by Marco De Gemmis e Gerry Badger. 6th November - 8th December 2016.
ARCHEOLOGIE FAMILIARI/FAMILY ARCHAEOLOGIES, Uncertain States Annual 2015. Mile End Art Pavilion, London, November 2015.
AVREI POTUTO ESSERE IO/IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME, Monument to the Bologna massacre 2nd August 1980/Stazione Alta Velocità di Bologna/High Speed Train Station at Bologna, 31st July - 15th September 2015.
LAST PORTRAIT'S PORTRAITS. Photomonth East London. St John on Bethnal Green. London 7th-19th October 2014.
PREMIO ARTE 2013. Milano, Palazzo della Permanente - dal 24 al 27 ottobre 2013.
OBIETTIVO CANESTRO. Bologna, Palazzo Comunale. Manica lunga. dal 5 al 21 giugno 2013.
EDUCATION
Academy of Fine Arts (Bologna)
Law (University of Bologna)
Philosophy (University of Bologna)
BOOKS
UNLIKELY MONUMENTS. Excerpt from the catalogue. Tosca Press, 2024
LOOKING FOR MY DAUGHTERS. A book of Love and Worries, Artphilein Editions, Lugano, 2022
TAKE ME TO LIVE WITH YOU. A Social Family Album, Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg, 2021
LAST PORTRAIT, Tosca Press, London 2019
LARES FAMILIARES, booklet, Giannini Editore, Napoli, 2016
ARCHEOLOGIE FAMILIARI/FAMILY ARCHAEOLOGIES, artist's book, 2015
AVREI POTUTO ESSERE IO/IT COULD HAVE BEEN ME "monumento portatile" "portable monument" self published, 2015, about 2nd of August 1980 Bologna massacre (85 copies for 85 supporters/15 artist's proofs). Each copy has an original print, signed and numbered
RITRATTI DELL'ULTIMO RITRATTO. Danilo Montanari Editore 2013. Edition of 100 + 30
LAST INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS AND STUDIES
Flashpoint! Protest Photography in Prints. 1950 -Present, 10 x10 Photobooks, New York City, 2024
Best Face Forward. Some thoughts on Portrait Photography, Gerry Badger, Prestel, 2024
“A Place to Live” - Matteo M. Paolucci - Cahier n. 6 - Artphilein Editions - Paradiso, Switzerland
“Looking for My Daughters” - Photobook Journal, Review by Gerhard (Gerry) Clausing, 2023
“Take Me to Live with You” - PhotoBook Journal, Review by Gerhard (Gerry) Clausing, 2022
We Are, the RPS Women in Photography Magazine, issue 2, 2022
Contested Memories and Acts of Counter-Commemoration as Temporary Utopian Spaces in “Conversations on Utopia. Cultural and Communication Practices”, Raffaella Baccolini, Peter Lang Verlag, 2020
Looking into Death: Trauma, Memory and Human Face, Patrizia Violi, 2022