Davide Monteleone
Winner Ed.2024

The Italian artist Davide Monteleone (1974), with Critical Minerals – Geography of Energy, is the winner of the Nominations by the Referrers section of the Deloitte 2024 Photo Grant, organized by Deloitte Italy under the patronage of Fondazione Deloitte and in collaboration with 24 ORE Cultura, with artistic direction by Denis Curti and the BlackCamera team.

Critical Minerals – Geography of Energy, presented by gallerist and curator Pierre André Podbielski, is a visual journey exploring the transformation of the global energy landscape toward renewable sources. It provides a thoughtful exploration of the possibilities these changes represent, inviting viewers to reflect on the geopolitical, social, and environmental narratives emerging from the growing demand for essential minerals for renewable energies.

Biographical Notes

Davide Monteleone is a visual artist, researcher, and National Geographic Fellow whose work spans image creation, visual journalism, writing, and other disciplines. His recurring themes include geopolitics, geography, identity, data, and science. Born in 1974, he spent over a decade in Russia between 2000 and 2021, where he produced his first series and four acclaimed monographs: Dusha (2007, Postcart), Red Thistle (2012, Actes Sud), Spasibo (2013, Kehrer), and The April Theses (2017, Postcart). He collaborates with National Geographic, Time, and The New Yorker, and his work has been exhibited as shows and installations in galleries and museums, including the Saatchi Gallery in London, the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, the MEP in Paris, the Palazzo Delle Esposizioni in Rome, Rencontres de la Photographie in Arles, and art fairs like Paris Photo and Photo London. In 2022, his data-visual investigation into China’s economic expansion became an exhibition and a book titled Sinomocene (Artphilein, 2022). For several years, he has worked on climate-related issues intersecting with economics and geopolitics. Among his accolades are third place in the Sony World Photography Award 2024, the National Geographic Fellowship (2019), the Asia Society Fellowship (2016), the Carmignac Photojournalism Award (2013), the EPEA Award (2012), the European Publisher Award (2011), and multiple World Press Photo awards. He holds a Master’s degree in Art and Politics from Goldsmiths University of London and is interested in the theoretical role and use of technical images in society and the relationship between images and data. He also serves as a curator and educator at numerous public and private institutions.