Melissa Ianniello
(Naples,
1991) is a 30 years old documentary photographer based in Bologna,
Italy. After graduating in Philosophy, in 2014 she became the student
of the photographers Erica McDonald, Carolyn Drake and Andres
Gonzalez thanks to the Photo Workshop New York.
In 2017 she began to work as a documentary photographer thanks to a masterclass she attended with the photographer Davide Monteleone. In 2018, she began her first long-term project, Wish it Was a Coming Out, about the taboo related to homosexuality at an elderly age in Italy. In 2020, she realised My Girl is a Boy, an investigation of transgenderism in the setting of a broken romance. Now, she is working on a new project, Rollercoaster, which deals with bipolar disorder in an autobiographical perspective.
In the last two years, Ianniello won several awards in Italy and abroad and, above all, she was a finalist at the W. Eugene Smith Grant 2020; moreover, she has been featured in several magazines such as The Guardian, Internazionale, L-Mag. She has been also selected as a student for the XXXIII Virtual Eddie Adams Workshop.
Her artistic research comes from her autobiographical experience and deals with themes related to gender and sexuality and themes related to mental health and mental illness.
In 2017 she began to work as a documentary photographer thanks to a masterclass she attended with the photographer Davide Monteleone. In 2018, she began her first long-term project, Wish it Was a Coming Out, about the taboo related to homosexuality at an elderly age in Italy. In 2020, she realised My Girl is a Boy, an investigation of transgenderism in the setting of a broken romance. Now, she is working on a new project, Rollercoaster, which deals with bipolar disorder in an autobiographical perspective.
In the last two years, Ianniello won several awards in Italy and abroad and, above all, she was a finalist at the W. Eugene Smith Grant 2020; moreover, she has been featured in several magazines such as The Guardian, Internazionale, L-Mag. She has been also selected as a student for the XXXIII Virtual Eddie Adams Workshop.
Her artistic research comes from her autobiographical experience and deals with themes related to gender and sexuality and themes related to mental health and mental illness.
Melissa Ianniello
(Napoli, 1991) è una fotografa documentarista trentenne con base a Bologna. Dopo la laurea in Filosofia, nel 2014 diventa allieva delle fotografe e fotografi Erica McDonald, Carolyn Drake e Andres Gonzalez grazie al Photo Workshop New York.
Nel 2017 inizia a lavorare come fotografa documentarista grazie a un master che frequenta con il fotografo Davide Monteleone. Nel 2018 comincia il suo primo progetto a lungo termine, Wish it Was a Coming Out, sul tabù legato all'omosessualità nella terza età in Italia. Nel 2020 inizia diversi progetti: My Girl is a Boy, un'indagine sul transgenderismo nella cornice di una storia d'amore interrotta. Attualmente, sta lavorando a un nuovo progetto,Rollercoaster, che tratta il disturbo bipolare in una prospettiva autobiografica.
Negli ultimi due anni, Ianniello ha vinto diversi premi in Italia e all'estero e, soprattutto, è stata finalista al W. Eugene Smith Grant 2020; inoltre, è stata pubblicata su diverse riviste come The Guardian, Internazionale, L-Mag. Nel 2020, viene anche selezionata come studentessa per il XXXIII Virtual Eddie Adams Workshop.
La sua ricerca artistica nasce dalla sua esperienza autobiografica e affronta da una parte temi legati al genere e alla sessualità e dall'altra temi legati alla salute e alla malattia mentale.
(Napoli, 1991) è una fotografa documentarista trentenne con base a Bologna. Dopo la laurea in Filosofia, nel 2014 diventa allieva delle fotografe e fotografi Erica McDonald, Carolyn Drake e Andres Gonzalez grazie al Photo Workshop New York.
Nel 2017 inizia a lavorare come fotografa documentarista grazie a un master che frequenta con il fotografo Davide Monteleone. Nel 2018 comincia il suo primo progetto a lungo termine, Wish it Was a Coming Out, sul tabù legato all'omosessualità nella terza età in Italia. Nel 2020 inizia diversi progetti: My Girl is a Boy, un'indagine sul transgenderismo nella cornice di una storia d'amore interrotta. Attualmente, sta lavorando a un nuovo progetto,Rollercoaster, che tratta il disturbo bipolare in una prospettiva autobiografica.
Negli ultimi due anni, Ianniello ha vinto diversi premi in Italia e all'estero e, soprattutto, è stata finalista al W. Eugene Smith Grant 2020; inoltre, è stata pubblicata su diverse riviste come The Guardian, Internazionale, L-Mag. Nel 2020, viene anche selezionata come studentessa per il XXXIII Virtual Eddie Adams Workshop.
La sua ricerca artistica nasce dalla sua esperienza autobiografica e affronta da una parte temi legati al genere e alla sessualità e dall'altra temi legati alla salute e alla malattia mentale.
Awards
2021
– Tokyo International Foto Awards,
3rd place (Bronze Prize) in the category People/Portrait and
2nd place (Silver Prize) in the category Editorial
2020
– John White “Keep in Flight” Award, winner
2020
– W. Eugene Smith Grant, finalist
2020
– World Report Award, finalist in the category Single Shot
2020
– Moscow International Foto Awards, 3rd place (Bronze Prize) in the category People/Portrait
2021
– Tokyo International Foto Awards,
3rd place (Bronze Prize) in the category People/Portrait and
2nd place (Silver Prize) in the category Editorial2020
– John White “Keep in Flight” Award, winner2020
– W. Eugene Smith Grant, finalist
2020
– World Report Award, finalist in the category Single Shot2020
– Moscow International Foto Awards, 3rd place (Bronze Prize) in the category People/Portrait2020
– Helsinki Photo Festival, winner2020
– FMoPA's 10th Annual International Photography Competition, 2nd place in the category Documentation / Photojournalism2020
– Biennale della Fotografia Femminile, winner2020
– Italy Photo Award, finalist2018
– Gran Premio Lumix Portfolio Italia Award, finalist2018
– Voglino Prize, finalist2018
– SI FEST Lanfranco Colombo Prize, winner2018
– Marco Pesaresi Award, finalist2017
– CHEAP Street Poster Art Festival, selected2016
– Photo Vogue Festival, Portfolio Review, selected2014
– CHEAP Street Poster Art Festival, selectedSolo Exhibitions
Group Exhibitions
Training
2020
– The Eddie Adams Workshop XXXIII, New York (USA) [virtual edition]
Education
2019
– Wish it Was a Coming Out, SI FEST Savignano Immagini (Savignano sul Rubicone, Italy)Group Exhibitions
2020
– Wish it Was a Coming Out, PHOTO IS:RAEL International Photography Festival (Tel Aviv, Israel)2020
– Wish it Was a Coming Out, Photoville Fence (USA)2020
– Wish it Was a Coming Out, Helsinki Photo Festival (Helsinki, Finland)2020
– FMoPA's 10th Annual International Photography Competition (Tampa – Florida, USA)2018
– Wish it Was a Coming Out, Centro Italiano della Fotografia d'Autore (Bibbiena, Italy)2017
– #Disorder, CHEAP Street Poster Art Festival (Bologna, Italy)2014
– #Green, CHEAP Street Poster Art Festival (Bologna, Italy)Training
2020
– The Eddie Adams Workshop XXXIII, New York (USA) [virtual edition]2018
– International Master in Documentary Photography with Davide Monteleone, Spazio Labo' Photography, Bologna (Italy)2014
– PWNY 2014, “Discovery Street”, New York (USA), with Landon Nordeman2014
– PWNY 2014, “The Open City”, New York (USA), with Carolyn Drake & Andres Gonzalez2014
– PWNY 2014, “The Other Story”, New York (USA), with Erica McDonald2014
– “Being Involved”, Bologna (Italy) with Michael Ackerman2014
– “Fotogiornalismo di news e attualità”, Bologna (Italy), with Alessandro TosattoEducation