A new photography book titled "Effimero Permanente" offers an unprecedented visual journey through three decades of artistic evolution in Matera, Italy, one of Europe's most captivating cultural destinations. Published by Sfera Edizioni, the volume represents the eightieth publication by renowned Italian art photographer Antonello Di Gennaro and showcases his lifelong dedication to documenting contemporary art. The book features over one hundred photographs, most previously unpublished, capturing the city's transformation from overlooked hill town to celebrated European Capital of Culture. Matera, famous for its ancient Sassi cave dwellings and UNESCO World Heritage designation, provides a unique and dramatic backdrop for artistic expression. The project chronicles exhibitions held in extraordinary venues throughout the city since 1978, creating a comprehensive archive of cultural intervention.

The Sassi di Matera constitutes a complex network of houses, rupestrian churches, and monasteries carved directly into limestone cliffs, creating a cultural landscape unlike any other in the Mediterranean region. This ancient settlement, continuously inhabited for over 9,000 years, earned Matera its prestigious UNESCO World Heritage Site status and has attracted filmmakers, artists, and cultural pilgrims from around the globe. Di Gennaro's meticulous work captures how contemporary art enters into dialogue with these historic spaces, creating inseparable relationships between artwork and exhibition context that cannot be replicated elsewhere. The photographer has documented works by more than thirty internationally recognized artists displayed in palaces, churches, and museums throughout the Sassi. This extensive documentation reveals how Matera's unique architecture and atmospheric light fundamentally shape artistic perception and viewer experience.

Central to the book's narrative is the story of the Grandi Mostre nei Sassi, a groundbreaking series of exhibitions curated by Giuseppe Appella and the Circolo La Scaletta cultural association. These landmark shows have been hosted in remarkable venues including the rock-hewn churches of Madonna delle Virtù and San Nicola dei Greci, as well as the sophisticated galleries of MUSMA (Matera Museum of Contemporary Sculpture). Since 1978, these exhibitions have marked the cultural renaissance of Matera, bringing international attention and artistic validation to the city. The book includes stunning photographs of figurative sculptures by masters like Manzù and Finotti, informal works by Hare and Milani, totemic forms by Sebaste and De Luca, and ascending kinetic pieces by Paradiso. Each artwork is presented as part of an organic visual universe inextricably intertwined with the city's spiritual essence and geological reality.

Antonello Di Gennaro approaches art documentation as an interpretive creative process rather than mere mechanical reproduction or archival recording. As he explains in the book's introductory texts, documenting artwork involves capturing its visual and conceptual essence while simultaneously highlighting the symbiotic relationship between the piece and its exhibition context. Through conscious and masterful use of natural and artificial light, his photography creates new atmospheric interpretative clues that broaden the artwork's original meaning. This transformative approach converts documentation into a form of artistic partaking, creating something fundamentally different that gives the work new life and dimension. His visual language combines rigorous artistic research with bold experimentation, positioning him within the contemporary authorial photography scene as a creator in his own right.

The volume is expertly edited by Roberto Lacarbonara and features an elegant editorial project by Carla Cantore, with insightful critical texts by Lacarbonara, Angelo Bianco Chiaromonte, and Michele De Ruggieri. Published in both Italian and English editions, the book measures 23.5 by 28 centimeters and features a rigid Bodonian cover bound in black silk with a printed photographic slide. The 240-page monograph includes 93 color and 25 black-and-white photographs, retailing at €264.00 through specialized art book distributors. The publication is part of the prestigious MIP-Matera International Photography series, supporting the city's ongoing cultural initiatives and photographic heritage. Di Gennaro's comprehensive documentation serves as both major artistic achievement and invaluable historical record, preserving Matera's cultural renaissance for future generations of artists, scholars, and visitors.

"Effimero Permanente" demonstrates how photography can function as a critical mediator between artwork identity and the narratives it generates in different contexts and eras. The book's title itself reflects the central paradox of capturing temporary, site-specific exhibitions to create permanent cultural documentation and extend their vitality indefinitely. By systematically documenting three decades of artistic interventions in Matera's ancient spaces, Di Gennaro reveals the city's evolving identity as a living museum where past and present coexist creatively. The publication is available through Matera International Photography and Sfera Edizioni, with additional information on Antonello Di Gennaro's official website. This significant contribution to art publishing underscores the continued relevance of sophisticated photographic documentation in contemporary cultural discourse and heritage preservation.