" Photography is a strange phenomenon. In spite of the use of that technical instrument, the camera, no two photographers, even if they were at the same place at the same time, come back with the same pictures. The personal vision is usually there from the beginning; result of a special chemistry of background and feelings, traditions and their rejection, of sensibility and voyeurism. You trust your eye and you cannot help but bare your soul. One’s vision finds of necessity the form suitable to express it," Inge Morath - Life as a Photographer.
bio:
Federica Valabrega was born in Rome, Italy in 1983, but spent most of her adult life between Boulder, Co., Washington, D.C. and Brooklyn, N.Y. Federica has a Bachelor in Science in Integrative Physiology from the University of Colorado at Boulder and in 2008 she received a Masters in Journalism and Documentary Production from American University in Washington, D.C. She started taking photos soon after on the street of the United States capital documenting the historic Presidential race and inauguration for herself.
Federica moved to New York City in 2010 where she attended the "At Home with David Alan Harvey" workshop from where she started taking images of Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn that culminated in her book "Daughters of the King" three years later. Since then she has been splitting her time between Rome, Italy and Jerusalem, Israel following her personal projects and editorial assignments.
Her photographs have been published in a number of U.S. based publications such as, The New York Times Magazine, TIME, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Philadelphia Enquire, LA Times, Npr.org as well as in a number of European ones such as, Le Monde, Dummy Magazine, Haaretz, Biber Magazine, La Repubblica, L’Espresso, La Stampa, Il Corriere della Sera and Panorama.
She has also worked for private clients, such as, the advertising agency McCann Erickson, the Italian Advertising company Filmmaster, the Publishing House Arnoldo Mondadori and the Sundance Film Festival.
On November 27, 2013, Federica published her first Book “Daughters of the King,” edited by BurnBOOKS. The book is available for purchase here. Since then she has been traveling with an itinerant exhibit to the MIA Photo Art Show in Milan, Visa Pour l’Image in Perpignan, France, Para Photo in Turin, Italy, The International Photography Festival in Tel Aviv, Israel and lately her images were exhibit inside “Cherchez La Femme” at the Jewish Museum in Berlin, Germany. From December 2nd, 2017 until April 1st, 2018.
artist statement:
Federica’s photography and personal projects both focus on people. Her fascination with humans– particularly those who find self-expression difficult in a world full of societal (and in some cases, personal) taboos – is rooted in her own unique and challenging experience as an Italian immigrant in a foreign country. Federica is interested in getting as close as possible to her subjects’ life. She applies a narrative layer to the visual story telling, portraying both the intrinsic beauty and the hidden controversies of her subjects in all of their complexity, as they push the boundaries of societal restraints trying to break free from them. By layering these two skills and pushing her own boundaries, traveling to foreign countries constantly, she is able to extract and expose what it's most of the time, deeply hidden, within the superficial lawyering of truth.
awards:
• On May 22, 2014 - the image “Chanel N5,” won the second place at the “BNL photography prize” within the Milan Image Fair (MIA) photography show in Milan, Italy.
• In December 2013 - Federica won the “Premio Amerigo” for her work as an Italian photo-reporter abroad. The journalistic prize was sponsored by the U.S. Embassy in Rome.
• In October 2012, Federica was the winner of the “Premio Labo'” with “Daughters of The King” at the Foiano Photo Festival with a special mention in the National Geographic Blog.
• In June 2012 Federica was nominated as a Finalist of the Foto Visura Project dedicated to Women in Photography with “Daughters Of The King” and featured at Photoville.
• In May of 2009 Federica’s photo “She Has A Dream” was featured in the Newseum, in Washington, D.C. as a Finalist of the FOTOBAMA Week Photo Contest.
exhibits: