Shobha
Shobha was born in Palermo in 1954. She lives between India and Italy.
In 1970 she moved to Milan, in 1977 she went to live in India, where she devoted to meditation and to study oriental music. In 1980 she goes to America and in 1981 she come back in Sicily, where she started photo reporting as a photographer for the newspaper “L’Ora” in Palermo, with her mother Letizia Battaglia and a group of young photographers. Her images portray the political and social world during the years of the “Mafia war”, Women and the Mafia, one of the reportage of greater importance, is published by leading international newspapers. With journalist Petra Reski, she published the book: Rita Atria and the turncoats of the mafia, published in Germany by Hoffmann.
- 1987 she started dealing with social themes and international political issues and moved to Cuba to works for several foreign pnewspapers. She published with the journalist Alessandra Riccio, Congratulation Commander! A baby girl was born and Women in Cuba, published in Italy by Le Edizioni della Battaglia and in France by Desmart.
- 1991 she joined the agency Contrasto. In 1995 she exhibited at the XLVI Venice Biennale and realize reportage on contemporary art in the world.
- 1998 she won the World Press Photo Award for a reportage on Sicily, and became an exhibition and a book entitled The Last Gattopardi by Paolo Falcone, published by Contrasto Agency.
- 1999 Palermo. She collaborates with TPW – Toscana Photography Workshop.
- 2000 she was invited by the Iraqi Society for Photography in Baghdad.
- 2001 she received the Hansel Mieth Preis for the reportage Church and the Mafia with journalist Petra Reski. In the same year she founded with Paul Falcone the Micromuseum for contemporary art and culture in Palermo.
- 2002 she won for the second time the World Press Photo Award, with a reportage on fashion and revolution in Senegal, which has became an exhibition and a book entitled The Angels of Medina.
The same year she is invited to Photoespaña, the International Festival of Photography femeninos, in Madrid. 2003 she began a collaboration with UNICEF, reporting on trafficking of children in the Balkans. - 2004 she received the Giacomelli Prize in memory of Osvaldo Buzzi in Benevento.
- Since 2005 began to use photography as a therapy, reporting the autism through a group of young autistic and teaching photography to a group of guys, suffering the Down Syndrome, she realize Confetti of love and a exhibition Love story with a video documentary. The traveling exhibition was hosted in Brescia during the festival Disability.
- Since 2007 she started working with video and founded the association Mother India School – travelling Projects – www.motherindiaschool.it a school of photography that combines workshops and video documentary with special focus on the female world.
- 2008 she is invited with her mother Letizia Battaglia, to the Festival des Tops in China, with a project on the Mafia and the Sicilian aristocracy. In the same year she made for Planeta Journey in Sicily, a project that becomes an exhibition, a video and a book published by Planeta.
- 2009 Amsterdam NL – Metis Gallery. Anger & Silence exhibition.
- 2009 Sri-Lanka – exhibition and video Vassana, a raw tale of a child born in a cemetery abused, later she was adopted by Mother India School. 2010 Cambodia: Wat Lanka, a project on the Buddhist nuns who survived the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.
- 2010 She collaborated with an international group of women surgeon, “Women for Women” – IPRAS (International Confederation for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery) violence against women, victims of vitriol.
- 2011 She was invited by Professor Zannier to take part to the Venice Biennale, with a work on Buddhist nuns who survived the Pol Pot regime in Cambodia.
- In 2010 she received the award CIVITAS, for the brave civil and social commitment, a symbol of friendship between Italy and India.
- 2011 Exhibition: A Journey at 54. Venice Biennale a project on the Venice Biennale for the foundation Sambuca di Palermo.
- 2011-12 in collaboration with Port Authority of Ravenna, carries out a project on the territory of the dock: New Dock for Ravenna capital of the future, it became an exhibition and later the project expands on Piallassa of Ravenna.
- 2012 Perpignan International Festival of Photojournalism, with a project on the illegal horse racing with underage in Palermo.
- 2012 Ragusa Photo Festival – Video shows: when the acid disfigures the soul, a project against the violence on women, victims of vitriol.
- 2013 Award Montessori – Culture of legality, to Letizia Battaglia and Shobha.
- 2013 Corigliano Calabro Photography, exhibition and video installation: Breathing Dust – goddesses of dust, a project on the construction female workers in India. In 2014 Nepal Project: Kumari – young living goddesses.
- 2014 Santarcangelo – Romagna- International Festival of Theatre in square – Workshop on 11-13 July
- 2014 Siena – Court of Miracoli- Workshop: “Tell me a story” – on 3th to 6th October
- 2014 Caltanissetta – Cefpas- event Shots of love. Treat with images. Show: “Story of love. Nine special boys photographing Palermo with Shobha and screening of the video: “with our eyes.”
- 2014 Palermo – Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa “Poetical Politics sounds and visions against the crisis # 5” Shobha Video Presentation: “Wat Lanka” a project on the Buddhist nuns survivors to the genocide of Pol Pot in Cambodia and “Breathing Dust – goddesses of dust” a project on construction workers in India.
- 2015 Expo Milan 2015 – Italia Inside Out. Italian Photographers, curated by Giovanna Calvenzi www.palazzodellaragionefotografia.it
- 2015 Triennale of Milan – time of women. Workshop of photography and meditation.
- 2017 Poland 7th FotoArtFestival exhibits: “Palermo – Borgo Vecchio”.
- 2018 Exhibits in France “The Last Leopard” at the Maison de la Culture d’Amiens, with Letizia Battaglia (Mafia).
- 2018 Palermo Centro Internazionale di Fotografia. The Street is watching – the largest street photography anthology in the World.
- 2018 Rome – Palazzo delle Esposizioni – The Other Look. Italian Photographs 1965-2018.
- 2019 Garfagnana Prize Rodolfo Pucci 2019: “La Fibula d’oro” – 21° Edition Garfagnana Fotografiaf.
- 2019 Etna Photo Prize Le Gru 2019.
- 2019 Palermo International Center of Photography. Collective Exhibition with photographers of newspaper “l’Ora” – The Mafia in Palermo.
Shobha exhibited in expos in Italy and in foreign museums and in the most important galleries, she has published on the most important Italian and foreign magazine. - 2020 Levanzo: Dreams that become images. Sisterhood – creative workshop with Shobha.
- 2021 She is invited to take part in the special Cultural Change commission of the W20, whose goal is to include 100 women in the history books, a gender cultural equality project for the revision of the books of primary and lower and secondary schools.
A task force of teachers, academics, science, arts and history specialists, led by professor Fabiana Giacomotti, professor of Cultural Studies at Sapienza and author. - 2021 Fluminimaggiore: Women are power – Extraordinary encounters – Andaras Traveling Film Festival 2021.
- 2020–21 Forlì. Being human – great photographers tell the world. San Domenico Museums from 28 November 2020 to 20 February 2021.
- 2021 Trieste: Zeropixel Photography Festival 2021. Thematic group show “Body / Body”.
- 2021 Palermo: International Center of Photography. Geography of the soul – Shobha’s personal exhibition. The exhibition presents five works by the artist, which interact with the poems of the Polish poet, Nobel Prize winner for literature, Wislawa Szymborska.
She currently carries out her anthropological research projects in Asia, with photography, video and writing.
In Italy, Shobha is represented by Contrasto Agency since 1991.
