Inside the PhotoVogue Festival “The Tree of Life: A Love Letter to Nature”

The ninth edition of the PhotoVogue Festival, focusing on our relationship with the planet and its inhabitants, has successfully come to an end.

The PhotoVogue Festival, which ran from March 6th to 9th, has now concluded. This year’s festival, “The Tree of Life: A Love Letter to Nature,” explored the relationship between humans and the other inhabitants of our planet.

PhotoVogue began as a digital platform, serving as a virtual meeting point for artists worldwide, offering recognition and a space to showcase their work. The PhotoVogue Festival transforms this virtual community into a physical one, creating a safe space for artists and guests to exchange ideas and reimagine the world we live in.

In a time when the world seems increasingly polarised, dialogue struggles to thrive, and differences are often flattened rather than celebrated, PhotoVogue firmly upholds the values it has always embraced. As Alessia Glaviano put it, “This edition of the PhotoVogue Festival aimed to foster a deeper understanding of our kinship with all living beings and spark collective action to protect our shared home.”

With over 10,000 visitors, “The Tree of Life: A Love Letter to Nature” featured five exhibitions: “The Tree of Life: A Love Letter to Nature,” “Latin American Panorama,” “The Tree of Change,” “In Vogue with Nature,” and “Seeds of Knowledge.” “The Tree of Life: A Love Letter to Nature” and “Latin American Panorama” showcased works from artists selected through global and local open calls. In “The Tree of Life: A Love Letter to Nature,” 50 artists explored the festival’s main theme, sharing stories on the impact of climate change, its socio-political implications, and indigenous resistance, while celebrating the beauty of nature and the fight for its preservation. The 42 artists featured in “Latin American Panorama,” selected through the local open call, represented their region’s multifaceted beauty, confronting its complexities and challenges and portraying stories that intersected with the festival’s central theme. “The Tree of Change” presented videos and presentations from people and organisations aligned with the Festival’s vision, focused on the preservation and study of our planet. “Seeds of Knowledge” offered books, publications, and magazines that provided a theoretical foundation to better understand the festival’s theme, while “In Vogue with Nature” showcased significant magazine covers featuring nature as the protagonist from all editions of Vogue around the world.

Throughout the four days of the festival, we hosted talks and discussions, creating a platform for debate and the exchange of ideas, where artists presented their works. Topics included the intersection of climate change and social disparities, the rich visual panorama of Latin America, discussions on the narration of diaspora and representation in photography, and a Lectio Magistralis by Richard Mosse, presented by Prix Pictet, focusing on spotting the light on environmental matters since its inception. We also examined how art communicates complex, layered meanings, new relationships with ecosystems, and how we can promote sustainable fashion respectful of the planet.

In addition to the dense program taking place at Base Milano, satellite events took place at some of Milan’s most prestigious galleries.

The PhotoVogue Festival emerged not only as a showcase of visual artistry but as a meeting point for ideas, creativity, and innovation. During the festival, Regione Puglia exhibited a project divided into three stories, each one showcasing different creative realities from the region, continuing to inspire and serving as a reference for those in search of innovation and beauty.

The collaboration between Davines and PhotoVogue beautifully combined ethics with aesthetics, reflecting their shared commitment to sustainability and nature. Davines, known for its environmentally conscious practices, perfectly aligned with the Festival’s theme. This partnership highlighted the work of artist Xavi Bou, whose “Ornitographies” project captures the flight paths of birds, symbolizing the connection between nature and human perception, especially through the migration of Vaux’s swifts from Canada to Mexico. On the final day of the PhotoVogue Festival, Milan’s Davide Diodovich Salon hosted “From Chaos to Order,” featuring Bou’s stunning ‘Ornithographies’ series. The event included a discussion with Davide Bollati, Elisa Pervinca Bellini, and Davide Diodovich on sustainability, ecology, and the role of art in preserving the environment, aligning with the festival’s theme.

Maison Senato participated in the festival with a miniature model of its unique space in Milan, designed by Massimiliano Locatelli—a place where photography, art, and culture converge. The inaugural exhibition, in partnership with Vital Impacts, emphasized environmental conservation through powerful imagery, underscoring the role of visual storytelling in inspiring action.

FLOS, the lighting partner, illuminated the festival with iconic designs that seamlessly merged cutting-edge aesthetics with technological innovation.

AUDI, the House of the Four Rings, continues its collaboration with Vogue Italia, confirming its role as the Main Partner of the PhotoVogue Festival for the ninth consecutive year.

A special thanks also goes to Westwing, Europe’s No. 1 e-commerce platform for Beautiful Living.

Our heartfelt thanks go to our community: your passion, dedication, and deeply personal yet political perspectives on reality fuel our work. In uncertain times, it is only through shared moments and dialogue among different cultures, identities, and places that we can overcome the sense of defeat that so easily overtakes us. The PhotoVogue Community stands as a safe haven for creativity, for narratives that shift away from conformity, where diverse thoughts converge, seeking common ground on which to create and be inspired.

This article was originally published on Vogue.com.