Biografia
Francesco Farina
Genoa – Italy
Born in Naples and raised in Liguria, Francesco Farina completed his university studies at the University of Genoa. His career as an engineer led him to undertake numerous trips and to stay for long periods in different parts of the world, experiences that enriched his vision and perspective.
It is in this context that he cultivated his early passion for photography, dedicating himself to it as a self-taught since 1988. Over the years, he has perfected his technique through the teachings of professional photographers, developing a deep predilection for black and white as the expressive form of choice for photojournalism. A staunch supporter of innovation and technology, Farina promptly embraced digital technique, recognizing its vast potential for artistic expression.
His photographic archive now includes over 50,000 images. Of these, a significant part – 70% – is the result of his extensive reportages around the world, with a notable prevalence of shots taken in India and China, countries where he lived for a long time. The remaining 30% of his vast collection is dedicated to the Italian territory.
Visio Mentis Project Tropea 2-9 August 2025
The Project
“India on the road”
Sometimes I find myself thinking back to a not too distant past, a time when curiosity and passion guided me through different, distant, and in many ways surprising cultures. India was much more than a simple professional experience. It was a lively and intense parenthesis in my life, lasting almost four years, to tell which the memories that still forcefully emerge in my mind today would not be enough. Nor would the over four thousand five hundred photographs that I took be enough, images that tried to give shape and color to the sensations that I experienced. Because living India is something else. India gets inside you, for better or for worse. It passes through you, with the weight of its fascinating culture, with the depth of its daily contradictions. And then there is the street. As in many other places in the world, here too the street is much more than a simple space: it is a true gymnasium of life. It is there that people work, do business, survive. The goods are displayed on improvised stalls or even just on a sheet spread out on the ground without worrying too much about hygiene standards, or about any “interested customers” who are certainly not paying. You wait. With patience, with resignation, sometimes with a calm that almost seems like detachment. You don’t know who will come, or if anyone will come. But you wait anyway. The street provides a living. Often little, almost always in exchange for hard work. But it gives. And yet, in the midst of that slow and silent ferment, a generation moves, a generation that walks, slowly but inexorably towards change. A generation that, while often looking back in search of a sometimes idealized past, is destined to build the future. A great future that, perhaps, is still behind us but that, one step at a time, is already beginning.
More photos by Francesco Farina
See other photographers Visio Mentis - August 2-9, 2025
The exhibition was very diverse – there were emotional portraits, the beauty of nature, architecture and animals, street photography and abstraction. The seriousness of the situation is given by the fact that the exhibition was opened by the
theoretician of art, Prof. Vittorio Politano, photographer Vincenzo Caroleo and the organizer, curator of the exhibition and photographer Marcello Pitardi. Thank you for the warm welcome, new acquaintances and a beautiful journey through the
world of international photography.
Un evento importante organizzato in maniera eccellente,professionale in una bellissima location. Grande impegno e aiuto da parte di Marcello. Felicissima di aver partecipato
sono rimasta entusiasta dell’esposizione presso l’Ex Stac di Catanzaro. Devo dire che la disposizione delle foto e la location sono veramente notevoli. E io ho scoperto molti fotografi che fanno cose molto interessanti. Mi dispiace per chi se la perde per ignoranza e senso di superiorità. Grazie a te per tutto l’impegno che ci metti
Enjoyed participating in the Visio Mentis photo exhibition. I was impressed by the professionalism of the organization. The location itself, but also the digital environment and the promotional material were of high quality and allure.
Many thanks to the organizers of the exhibition. Everything was done at the highest level. Special thanks for the work done by Marcello Petardi. It was a great honor to participate in this celebration of photography
Ich habe die Einweihung live auf Facebook verfolgt: Es war fantastisch! Ich hoffe wirklich, bei den nächsten Pixel Photo Magazine-Events dabei sein zu können.
Międzynarodowa wystawa, która dała wyraz emocjom. Cieszę się, że mogłem być jej częścią i mam nadzieję, że będę mógł współpracować z wami ponownie w przyszłości.