photo by Erika Zucchiatti



Melissa Ianniello  (Naples, 1991) is a documentary photographer based in Bologna, Italy. After graduating in Philosophy, she studied documentary photography at Spazio Labo', in Bologna, including participating in its international educational program, “Photo Workshop New York”, in Brooklyn.

In 2018 she began her first long-term project, Wish it Was a Coming Out, about the taboo in Italy surrounding elderly homosexual people. In 2020, she created M. G. I. A. B., a story about trans identity. In the same year, she was selected as a student for the XXXIII Eddie Adams Workshop. Above all, in that year, she was hospitalized because of health problems: from this intimate and deep experience, she created the project That Month, still unpublished in 2024 because she needed time to process the content of that work. In 2022, her first solo exhibition takes place in the United States, at the Rochester Art Center in Rochester (Minneapolis).

She has won several Italian and international awards, such as the first edition of Biennale della Fotografia Femminile and the John White Keep In Flight Award, and meanwhile her photographs have been exhibited at important festivals. Most importantly, she was a finalist for the W. Eugene Smith Grant 2020.

The Guardian, Vogue, Spiegel Wissen, Internazionale, Q Code Magazine are some of the newspapers and magazines that have featured her work. Her artistic research focuses on themes related to sexuality and identity, drawing from intimate and autobiographical experiences.





Melissa Ianniello (Napoli, 1991) è una fotografa documentarista con base a Bologna. Si laurea in Filosofia e successivamente studia fotografia documentaria presso Spazio Labo', a Bologna, prendendo parte anche al suo programma di studi internazionale, “Photo Workshop New York”, a Brooklyn.

Nel 2018 inizia il suo primo progetto a lungo termine, Wish it Was a Coming Out, sul tabù legato all'omosessualità nella terza età in Italia. Nel corso del 2020 realizza M. G. I. A. B., una storia sull’identità trans. Nello stesso anno, viene selezionata come studentessa per il XXXIII Virtual Eddie Adams Workshop. Soprattutto, nel corso di quell’anno, viene ricoverata a causa di problemi di salute: da questa intima e profonda esperienza, dà vita al progetto That Month, ancora inedito nel 2024 perché ha avuto bisogno di tempo per metabolizzare il contenuto di quel lavoro. Nel 2022, inaugura la sua prima personale negli Stati Uniti, al Rochester Art Center di Rochester (Minneapolis).

Ha vinto diversi premi italiani e internazionali, tra cui la prima edizione della Biennale della Fotografia Femminile e il John White Keep in Flight Award,e nel mentre le sue fotografie sono state esposte in importanti festival. Soprattutto, è stata finalista al W. Eugene Smith Grant 2020.

The Guardian, Vogue, Spiegel Wissen, Internazionale, L-Mag, Q Code Magazine sono alcuni dei giornali e riviste che hanno pubblicato il suo lavoro. La sua ricerca artistica si focalizza sui temi legati alla sessualità e all’identità, a partire da experienze intime e autobiografiche.








Awards

2021

- Bresciani Visual Art Special Female Photograhy Award, winner 

2021

-  KLPA2021 Portrait Prize, Kuala Lumpur International Photoawards, finalist

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

2020

– Helsinki Photo Festival, winner

2020

– FMoPA's 10th Annual International Photography Competition, 2nd place in the category Documentation / Photojournalism

2020

– Biennale della Fotografia Femminile, winner

2020

– Italy Photo Award, finalist

2018

– Gran Premio Lumix Portfolio Italia Award, finalist

2018

– Voglino Prize, finalist

2018

– SI FEST Lanfranco Colombo Prize, winner

2018

– Marco Pesaresi Award, finalist

2017

– CHEAP Street Poster Art Festival, selected

2016

– Photo Vogue Festival, Portfolio Review, selected

2014

– CHEAP Street Poster Art Festival, selected
Solo Exhibitions

2022

- “Melissa Ianniello: Wish it Was a Coming Out”, Rochester Art Center, Rochester (Minneapolis), Minnesota, USA https://www.theitalianculturalcenter.org/event-4982534

2021

- M. G. I. A. B., video installation within “Roma Fotografia”, Palazzo Merulana (Rome, Italy)

2021

- Wish it Was a Coming Out, “Fuori Biennale”, Biennale della Fotografia Femminile (Mantova, Italy)

2019

– Wish it Was a Coming Out, SI FEST Savignano Immagini (Savignano sul Rubicone, Italy)

Group Exhibitions

2021

–Wish it Was a Coming Out, Roma Fotografia, Bresciani Visual Art Gallery (Rome, Italy)

2020

– Wish it Was a Coming Out, Photoville Fence (Atlanta, Brooklyn, Winchester, Calgary, Denver, Durham, Houston, New Orleans, Sarasota, Seattle - 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)




Publications
The Guardian | Vogue | Spiegel Wissen | Internazionale | L’Oeil de la Photograhie | Are We Europe | Will Italia | Tagebuch | Myp Magazine | Donna Moderna | ze.tt | l-mag | Babelmed | Medfeminiswiya | Q Code Magazine |




Clients
Serena Dandini (social campaign “La differenza è contro la violenza”) | Drusilla Foer | Instabili Vaganti | Martini Elettrico (Bologna’s Conservatory) | Mantova Pride Festival 2021 | Elastico Records | FUCKSIA | Smalls Jazz Club (NY) | Locomotiv Club | UNA (Marzia Stano) | Kaki King | SOOKEE | Marino Dolan (musician) | Sandra Cavallini (theatre actress) | Francesca Falchi (theatre actress ) | Marta Proietti Orzella (theatre actress) | Donatella Allegro (theatre actress) | TRENOff Fringe Festival | Magnifico Teatrino Errante | Mata-Malam | Associazione Spigolo Tondo | Progetto Itaca Bologna (Mental Health Association) | Comune di Bologna




Training

2020

– The Eddie Adams Workshop XXXIII, New York (USA)

2019

– Spazio Labo’ Photography, “The Languages of Photography”, Bologna (Italy)

2018

– Spazio Labo’ Photography, International Master in Documentary Photography with Davide Monteleone, Bologna (Italy)

2014

– PWNY 2014, “Discovery Street”  with Landon Nordeman, New York (USA) 

2014

– PWNY 2014, “The Open City” with Carolyn Drake & Andres Gonzalez,  New York (USA)

2014

– PWNY 2014, “The Other Story” with Erica McDonald,  New York (USA)

2014

–  Spazio Labo’ Photography, “Being Involved” with Michael Ackerman, Bologna (Italy)

2013

– Spazio Labo’ Photography, “Fotogiornalismo di news e attualità” with Alessandro Tosatto,  Bologna (Italy)

Education

2013

– BA in Philosophy, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna (Italy)





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