The catalog of the exhibition “Sicilia sottosopra. Gianfranco Ayala: fotografia e cinema documentario,” published by Istituto Luce-Cinecittà and 40due Edizioni, is illustrated with the photos on display and accompanied by writings from the curator Enrico Menduni, a prominent figure in politics, unions, and journalism like Emanuele Macaluso, a historical memory of the harsh labor struggles in the sulfur mines, the journalist and writer Gaetano Savatteri (who emphasizes the pure beauty of Ayala’s photography and relates it to the fascinating saga of sulfur in Sicilian literature, from Verga and Pirandello to Sciascia and Camilleri), and Maria Gabriella Macchiarulo, the coordinator of the exhibition for Luce-Cinecittà.

In the late 1940s, Gianfranco Ayala is a photographer capturing his city, Caltanissetta, and the surrounding countryside. His photographic narrative is primarily composed of people of all ages and backgrounds, observed in their everyday lives or during religious and political ceremonies in the community. He is interested in capturing the truth of a gaze or joy, as well as the poverty and pain that, in Sicily, are hidden behind a veil of dignity.