Karen Knorr: Belgravia
Cortona On The Move 2023, Tuscany, Italy
13 July–1 October 2023

More or Less is the theme chosen for the 13th edition of Cortona On The Move, the international photography festival scheduled from 13 July to 1 October 2023 in Cortona, in the heart of Tuscany. The ‘highlight’ of the event will be, as every year, on the opening days of the festival (13-16 July), when the greatest national and international experts in the world of photography will meet in Cortona, to take part in events, presentations, talks and workshops, promoting reflection on current affairs and the past, through one of the best tools for investigating reality. More than 30 artists have been invited to interpret the dichotomy between ‘more and less’ in 26 exhibitions set up in the old town centre, the Medici Fortress of Girifalco, and ‘Station C’ near the Camucia-Cortona Station.

As part of the festival a solo presentation will focus on Karen Knorr’s Belgravia series (1979–81), comprising images and text, describes class and power amongst the wealthy during the early days of Thatcherism in London, showing the “everyday” of a privileged minority. While, historically, portraiture of the upper classes has tended to be flattering or even hagiographic, the combination of images and text in this work brings it closer to satire and caricature, but without losing the strong link to reality that is specific to photography. Selections from the Gentlemen (1981–83) and Ladies (2011), which similarly parody class attitudes, are also on display.