Joan Fontcuberta, Il bacio di Giuda, fotografia e verità, 2022

In a series of eight critical essays on photography, written over a long period of professional experience, Joan Fontcuberta reflects on the creation of images and the culture that would like them to be the expression of truth and proof of existence. Rebelling against the belief that the photographic message does not need to be interpreted because it is, by nature, evident Fontcuberta questions the idea of photography as a mirror of reality and an expression of truth, and the very role of the photographer, who cruelly restores only the external form of the soul of what he portrays. Continuing with examples taken from various areas of culture – including literature, cinema and theatre – the author draws parallels between photography and writing and illustrates the ways in which the image represents or, rather, simply attracts. Il bacio di Giuda (Judas’s Kiss) is a classic of photography theory, already included in the bibliography of university courses in visual communication. Presentation by Michele Smargiassi.