Aesthetica Magazine – critical report

“The mafia threatens us; the investigation continues.” This is the English translation of the words splashed across the front L’Ora – a left-wing newspaper from Palermo – on October 20, 1958. It was the headline a day after the offices were bombed following a critical report on the infamous criminal organization. This steadfast statement encapsulates the courage of people committed to challenging an establishment long rooted at the intersection of the Sicilian city’s business, politics and violent criminal activities. At the helm of L’Ora’s photography team was Letizia Battaglia (1935-2022).

As Photo Director, Battaglia took approximately 600,000 photos for the publication. Together with her colleagues, she was present at every major crime scene in the city and used her camera to document the brutal daily reality of life under the Sicilian mafia. The results are heartbreaking, of A mother with a portrait of her missing son Unpleasant A teenager without hope for the future. Pictured here is an intense black and white portrait of writer Rosaria Schifani (b. 1970). She is the widow of bodyguard Vito, who was murdered by the mafia together with judge Giovanni Falcone in 1992. Battaglia’s desire for justice, independence and change drove every aspect of her business, from civil rights activism to politics.

Battaglia reflected: “I was standing with my bare hands, except for my camera, with all their weapons against them. I took pictures of everything. Suddenly I had an archive of blood. An archive of pain, despair, terror, drug-addicted youth, young widows, trials and arrests.” This exhibition at The Photographers’ Gallery invites visitors to view the photojournalist’s powerful work spanning five decades – in all its heart and humanity.

The Photographers Gallery, Letizia Battaglia: life, love and death in Sicily | Until February 23

thephotographersgallery.org.uk

Image credits:

1. Rosaria Schifani, widow of escort agent Vito, murdered together with judge Giovanni Falcone, Francesca Morvillo and his colleagues Antonio Montinaro and Rocco Di Cillo. (Rosaria Schifani, vedova dell’agente di scorta Vito, ucciso insieme al giudice Giovanni Falcone, Francesca Morvillo and his colleghi Antonio Montinaro and Rocco Di Cillo.) Palermo, 1992 © Courtesy Archivio Letizia Battaglia.
2. Boss Gaetano Fidanzati in court. (Il boss Gaetano Fidanzati in tribunale.) Palermo, 1978 © Courtesy Archivio Letizia Battaglia.