Following its recent showcase at MIA Photo Fair 2025, Sospesi, the collaborative project by Jacopo Di Cera and renowned photographer Massimo Vitali, now takes center stage at Art Dubai 2025 (April 16–20). Presented with the support of Immaterika, a pioneering Web3 creative factory, this exhibition highlights a curated selection of Di Cera’s works, offering a profound exploration of Italy’s cultural duality. Through his lens, Italy emerges as a land suspended between tradition and modernity, past and future.
Sospesi, a collaborative project by Jacopo Di Cera and Massimo Vitali, examines Italy’s suspended identity, caught between nostalgia and progress. While the project debuted as a dialogue between two distinct photographic styles, the Art Dubai 2025 exhibition shifts focus to Di Cera’s contributions, particularly his aerial perspectives. His flattened, bird’s-eye compositions strip away visual hierarchies, presenting Italy as a surreal, almost meditative landscape frozen in time.
At the fair, Jacopo Di Cera’s selected works prompt viewers to reconsider Italy’s cultural essence, not as a static postcard but as a living, evolving entity. The artist’s images capture the tension between stillness and motion, tradition and change. By removing conventional focal points, he forces a reevaluation of how we perceive environments and interactions. His work transcends mere documentation, becoming a tool for social reflection.
Jacopo Di Cera has spent over a decade pushing the boundaries of photography. His early recognition came in 2010 as a finalist in the National Geographic photography awards, setting the stage for a career defined by innovation. Moving beyond traditional documentary photography, Di Cera developed Photomaterism, an artistic approach that transforms photographs into tactile, multisensory experiences. This method challenges the digital saturation of contemporary life, inviting viewers to engage with images not just visually but through touch and presence.
His projects often tackle profound social themes. “Fino alla Fine Del Mare” (2016) captured the haunting remnants of migrant boats in Lampedusa, while “Il Rumore dell’Assenza” (2019) documented the emotional aftermath of the Amatrice earthquake. More recently, “Italian Summer” employed drone photography to dissect the cultural rituals of Italian vacations.
As Sospesi makes its transition from MIA Photo Fair to Art Dubai 2025, Jacopo Di Cera presents a poignant exploration of Italy’s suspended identity. Complementing this exhibition, visitors can experience Retreat, Di Cera’s multimedia installation created in collaboration with CIFRA. The work features 30 upcycled screens displaying footage of the Breva Glacier in the Italian Alps, its gradual dissolution made viscerally tangible through both sight and sound. This immersive piece transforms environmental data into sensory experience, compelling viewers to confront the stark realities of climate change.
More information: https://jacopodicera.it/en/homepage/
