Until November 23: SIENA INTERNATIONAL PHOTO AWARDS 2025 EXHIBITION. Natural History Museum, Piazzetta Silvio Gigli 2 and other venues in Siena. Open Friday – Sunday 3 – 7 pm on Friday and 10 am – 7 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Admission: €15 with further concessions available on the organisation’s official website.
Siena is a strong contender for the most beautiful town in Tuscany; it is globally admired for its stunning medieval architecture and the Sienese school of art. Modern aspects of the town are rarely considered by visitors. However, the light show that inaugurated the 2025 Siena Photo Awards sought to change this. Ars Lucis (Art of Light) was a free installation of images and music set in Piazza del Campo. Images, lights, and sounds illuminated the exterior of the Palazzo Pubblico and the Torre del Mangia. This impressive technology aimed to build a bridge between the past and the present through interposing medieval and modern images.
The unmissable and imaginative show of light and images was the perfect way to begin the Siena Photo Awards, as light (or photo in Latin) is the core of the photographic art form. Whilst it uses modern technology, the showing does not represent a radical departure from the Sienese school of art, as both use bold colours and light to illuminate their works. To complete the immersive experience, composer John Metcalfe created original melodies, partially inspired by Sienese folk music to accompany the display of images. This celebrates Siena’s cultural traditions and simultaneously welcomes innovation.
In a journey between the past and present, 14th century Sienese frescoes will intertwine with winning photographs from the Siena Awards. The display of Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s magnificent Allegory of Good and Bad Government alongside contemporary photographs will honour spaces of memory that maintain links to medieval ancestors and current events. The concept of “Good and Bad Government” is as thought provoking today as it was in Lorenzetti’s time, with several of the winning photographs depicting global tragedies and the consequences of bad government, such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza or the 2023 Turkey earthquake. Through weaving together old and new images, the installation will demonstrate how humanity is one. Divisions we create with the past and each other are artificial as we are all human.
This installation ushered in the 2025 Siena photo awards ceremony on September 27. Prizes were given in 10 categories ranging from the “Beauty of Nature” to “Street Photography” to “Fascinating Faces and Characters.” Following this, the public is welcome to attend exhibitions throughout the city to see the winners and nominees of this year’s photo awards through the third week of November. For more information, please visit the Siena Awards website. (Mikela Persson Caracciolo)
