DOGANA – Photography, autobiographical stories and life testimonies inaugurated the 35th edition of the ASFA “Meeting with the Author” event on Friday 6 November at the Dogana Social Center, an event dedicated to author photography and its narrative possibilities.
The program opened with the presentation of “Crisalidi”, a photobook created by Giancarlo Frisoni and published by Pazzini. The project was born from the exhibition experience hosted in the deconsecrated church of Santa Maria ad Nives in Rimini, created in collaboration with the “Crisalide” Women’s Breast Surgery Association.
During the evening, photographs and the reading of autobiographical texts alternated with the testimonies of the women involved in the project, giving life to a collective story on the experience of breast cancer. Not a narrative based on statistics or clinical data, but on the emotions, difficulties and personal journeys faced during and after the illness.
The volume talks about the fear of diagnosis, the uncertainty of treatment, the changes in the body and the visible and invisible consequences of the disease. At the center, however, there is above all the ability to rediscover trust and strength through sharing, friendship and solidarity.
The chrysalis becomes the metaphor of this journey: a period of waiting and transformation, even painful, from which a new awareness can arise. The protagonists are not represented as exceptional figures, but as ordinary women who face their experience discovering often unexpected resources and abilities.
Frisoni’s project thus shifts attention from the disease to the person, placing dignity, daily life and the possibility of looking to the future even after a difficult experience at the centre.
The link with the Crisalide association of Rimini is significant, which for years has supported women who have undergone breast cancer surgery through prevention activities, psychological support, recovery paths and awareness initiatives. A reality that promotes sharing and mutual support to help women regain confidence and serenity.
The presentation officially opened the ASFA “Meeting with the Author” exhibition, scheduled from 6 November to 4 December 2026, with five consecutive appointments every Friday at 9pm. The calendar will continue with different authors and photographers, offering new opportunities for in-depth analysis of the possibilities of photography as a tool for knowledge, memory and dialogue.
