Karim El Maktafi is an Italian-Moroccan photographer born in Desenzano del Garda in 1992. In 2013, he graduated from the Italian Institute of Photography in Milan. In 2016, he was awarded a one-year scholarship at Fabrica, Benetton’s communication research center in Treviso. During his residency, Karim developed the project Hayati, which won the PHMuseum 2017 Grant – New Generation Prize, was a finalist for the 2017 CAP Prize (Contemporary African Photography Prize), and received second place at the Kassel Dummy Award 2018. Between 2017 and 2018, he won a mentorship with American photographer Maggie Steber (VII Agency), who supported him in the development of several projects. In 2018, he was also awarded the Magnum Photos scholarship with Alex Majoli. Karim works on long-term projects between Italy and Morocco, and his photographic research explores the concept of identity and belonging through documentary photography and portraiture. His work has been exhibited at La Triennale Museum in Milan, the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin, Pavillon Populaire in Montpellier, MACRO Testaccio in Rome, and in other photography festivals across Europe. His work has also been published in The Washington Post Magazine, National Geographic USA, Internazionale, Vice, GEO, and Vogue Italia, among others.

Alberto Prina is the founder of the photo association Gruppo Fotografico Progetto Immagine and has been the coordinator of its annual Festival of Ethical Photography since its creation. Alberto is a curator of exhibitions, a jury member for international contests and the creator of the Traveling Festival, a collection of exhibitions produced in Lodi that tour internationally. As a reportage photographer, he works with non-profit organizations developing projects in the field of photographic communication, multimedia and collaborative photography. He also regularly organizes courses and workshops.

Arianna Rinaldo is a freelance professional working with photography at a wide range. From 2012 to 2021 she was the artistic director of Cortona On The Move, international festival of visual narrative. Since 2016 she is the photography curator at PhEST, a festival of contemporary photography and arts in Puglia. Arianna’s relationship with photography started in 1998 as archive director at Magnum Photos in New York; and later as photo editor for Colors magazine in Italy. Based in Milan from 2004 to 2011, Arianna worked as a freelance curator and a photo consultant for various publications, among which 4 years at D, the weekend supplement of La Repubblica (2008-2011). In the meantime, for 8 years she was the editorial director of OjodePez, the bilingual documentary photo magazine published by La Fabrica, Madrid. Based in Barcelona since 2012, Arianna continues to develop photography projects at an international level. Besides her curatorial activity, Arianna is engaged in leading workshops and masterclasses, as well as private mentorship sessions. She is in the selection committee of various institutions among which the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, the British Journal of Photography “Ones to Watch”, and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize.

Francesco Colombelli, co-founder of the Kublaiklan collective, has been working with Cortona On The Move since 2012 and with Fotografia Europea since 2016 as an exhibition manager. He has curated exhibitions dedicated to photobooks such as Home Is Where One Starts From (Fotografia Europea 2021), Foul and Awesome Display (Photolux 2021), Giro Giro Corpo (Cortona On The Move 2024), Fluorescent Adolescent (Fotografia Europea 2025), and owns a collection of over 1,000 photobooks. He collaborates with other national festivals and institutions. As assistant to the artistic direction of Atelier dell’Errore, he organizes photography workshops for children and teenagers. He teaches at IED Turin, Spazio Labò, and Studio Marangoni.

Born in Taranto in 1993, after earning a degree in Cultural Heritage, Claudia Fuggetti completed a Master’s in Photography and Visual Design at NABA, Milan. She later graduated with honors in Digital Cultures from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. Her work has been exhibited in numerous national and international contexts, including Les Rencontres de la Photographie Arles (2018), Copenhagen Photo Festival (2021), PhMuseum Days (2022), Giovane Fotografia Italiana (2022), Unseen Photo Fair (2024), Circulation(s) (2025), Photo London (2025), and others. She was selected by Der Greif for the European platform Futures Photography. She has received numerous accolades, including 1st place in Fine Art at the FAPA (2025), the Critics’ Choice Award from LensCulture (2024), an honorable mention at the IPA (2023), the Innovate Grant (2024), and inclusion in the Edition 365 project promoted by the British Journal of Photography (2021). In 2021, she also published an essay for the Francisco Carolinum Museum in Linz.

After studying Philosophy and Art History at the University of Milan and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, Giacomo Mercuriali (1990) developed a practice that intertwines artificial intelligence, image theory, and social media. He has exhibited in both institutional and independent contexts in Italy and abroad. His most recent exhibitions include Animati (MUFOCO – Museum of Contemporary Photography, Cinisello Balsamo, 2025), States of Stagnation (Mare Karina, Venice, 2025), and Phasmic Erratic Theory (P.E.T. Projects, Athens, 2024). He collaborates with museums, foundations, and archives, and currently teaches at several Academys of Fine Arts.