A TRIBUTE TO MASTER MAURIZIO GALIMBERTI
FACES
The Contemporary Portraits
Exhibition & Award 2025
June 13 – Palazzo Bovara, Corso Venezia 51, Milan.
from 1.00 PM to 9.00 PM
(feautiring a complimentary aperitiv in Palazzo Bovara with finger food at 6.00 PM -
30 euro per person)
June 14 – Showroom ARETÈ, Via Seneca 4, Milan.
from 11.00 AM to 8.00 PM
June 16–21 – TheStreetSoup Gallery, Via Gonzaga 7, Milan.
from 2.00 PM to 6.30 PM
170 photographers, one subject: the face of contemporary photography.
A tribute exhibition to Maurizio Galimberti lights up the heart of Milan.
Milan becomes once again the capital of photography with FACES – The Contemporary Portrait, a remarkable exhibition that pays homage to master Maurizio Galimberti and to the genre that made him famous: the portrait. The event will open on Thursday, June 13, at the historic and prestigious Palazzo Bovara in Corso Venezia, just steps from the Fashion District. For the occasion, the exhibition will be open from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with a complimentary aperitif at 6:00 PM.
The exhibition is curated by the Milan-based gallery TheStreetSoup, an independent and vibrant art space that has become a reference point for emerging and experimental photography. Together with Polaroid, the event's main partner, and the Fondazione Mazzoleni, the project is made possible thanks to the support of several outstanding partners: ALBED Milano (high-end design and interiors), EVOLUENDO (a multidisciplinary creative lab), and the historic Garofali Printing House in Ancona, a custodian of elite typographic craftsmanship.
The exhibition brings together 170 photographers from around the world, each invited to interpret the concept of the face through their unique artistic lens. Twenty-five of them are emerging talents selected through an international open call. In a powerful generational dialogue, their work will be presented alongside Galimberti's iconic mosaic portraits of Hollywood celebrities, which helped secure his reputation as one of the world's leading figures in instant photography.
The remaining 145 participants will exhibit a single portrait, all in competition for the prestigious title of "Best Portrait 2025." An international jury will award the prize creating an exciting stage for exchange among diverse visual languages and cultures.
The exhibition continues on Friday, June 14, at the elegant ARETÈ showroom in Via Seneca 4, Milan, open to the public from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Visitors will have the opportunity to view a curated selection of works in an intimate and refined setting.
Starting the following week, from Monday, June 17 to Saturday, June 22, the exhibition moves to TheStreetSoup gallery in Via Gonzaga 7, where a digital version of the show will be continuously projected on a monumental 4x3 meter LED wall, offering a fully immersive visual journey through all the works on display — somewhere between art installation and photographic cinema.
A collective project that celebrates the power of the gaze, the intensity of the instant, the legacy of a master — and the vision of those who, day after day, continue to reinvent the portrait in contemporary photography.
Because every face is a story. And every story, ultimately, begins with a gaze.
Event Schedule
June 13 – Palazzo Bovara, Corso Venezia 51, Milan.
Exhibition open from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Featuring a complimentary aperitif at 6:00 PM - 30 EURO per person
June 14 – Showroom ARETÈ, Via Seneca 4, Milan
Open from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM
June 16–21 – TheStreetSoup Gallery, Via Gonzaga 7, Milan
A digital version of the exhibition will be projected continuously on a monumental 4x3 meter LED wall, offering an immersive and dynamic visual journey through all participating works.
The Awards – Best Portrait 2025
At the conclusion of the exhibitions held at Palazzo Bovara and the ARATÈ Showroom, the spotlight shifts
to the international jury, which over the weekend will select the ten finalists from among the 145 portraits in competition.
From this shortlist, the jury will then announce the three overall winners of the "Best Portrait 2025" award, chosen for the originality of their gaze, narrative strength, and technical excellence.
The winning portraits will be printed in fine art format and featured in a dedicated display at the TheStreetSoup gallery, located at Via Gonzaga 7 in Milan, during the following week. Simultaneously, the finalist images will also be featured within the immersive digital projection, which presents all participating works offering double exposure for the most outstanding talents of the exhibition.
A well-deserved finale for a project that brought together visions, generations, and visual languages under the universal theme of portraiture.
MAURIZIO GALIMBERTI
Maurizio Galimberti was born in Como in 1956. He lives and works in Milano. Considered the greatest exponent of Italian instant photography, he has been nominated the official Instant Artist of Fuji Italy. After a traditional approach to photography, in 1983 he was enchanted by the expressive possibilities of the Polaroid, an instrument that allowed him to play with his usual passion: thehistorical avant-garde; becoming his radical and ongoing focus. In 1991 he became the official testimonial of Polaroid Italia and in 1992 he received the prestigious Grand Prix Kodak Pubblicità Italia award.
From 1989 his research on polaroid continued. The portrait of his son was his first experiment using the technique of the "Photographic Mosaic". He began to extend his techniques, which he called "butterfly wings" and "cluster" to different portraits of famous people, such as Johnny Depp, Robert De Niro, Lady Gaga, Umberto Eco, Robert Altman. He also won the cover of Times Magazine, with Depp's portrait.
FONDAZIONE MAZZOLENI
The Foundation MAZZOLENI promotes cultural events not only with artists of international standing but above all pays great attention to new emerging talents, following them in their artistic and professional evolution.
It organizes a series of exhibition events throughout the year in highly prestigious public contexts, addressing a national and international audience.
The Foundation also sponsors numerous evenings with personalities from the world of culture, Italian business and entertainment.
Since 2009, the flagship annual event has been the Gran Galà Arte Cinema which has the aim of promoting Italian art and excellence in a prestigious context like Venice during the Biennale, by awarding prizes to artists, actors and entrepreneurs.
The Foundation is run by Simona Occioni, entrepreneur from Bergamo and contemporary art gallery owner, co-founder and president of the Mazzoleni Foundation, recently also artistic director of the new company ArtOnline20.
(image on the left: Simona Occioni, President of the Mazzoleni Foundation)
The participants of the contest
All participants are selected by the staff of TheStreetSoup, Fondazione Mazzoleni, Maestro Maurizio Galimberti and the POLAROID team
The participants of the MAIN EXHIBITION
All participants are selected by the staff of TheStreetSoup, Fondazione Mazzoleni, Maestro Maurizio Galimberti and the POLAROID team
The Contemporary Portraits & Award 2025
MILANO - 13/14 JUNE 2025
Contact us
TheStreetSoup Art Gallery
Via Gonzaga n.7 - Milano (Italy)
info@thestreetsoup.com