Travel nominee

The Bear festival is an annual tradition taking place every winter when New Year is approaching, Men and women of all ages dress in bear skins and dance to the rhythm of flutes and percussion to drive away evil spirits and welcome the New Year. ⁠
The show is called “Ursul, The Bear Dance Festival”, and is a ritual that symbolizes the death and rebirth of time. A tradition, preserved since ancient times that is still kept alive today.⁠

Born and raised in alittle village in the Italian Alps, now based in Barcelona, Mauro already feltfrom young age the desire to tell. He discovered that the camera was the righttool for him, the eye through which he could speak to the world. An instrumentthat began to walk by his side towards a long journey of discovery. Definitely,to grow by himself, without the influence of schools, courses and lessons hasslowed down the process of technical knowledge, but because of this he learnedhis own way of seeing and been formed and shaped by the environment and thepeople who surrounded him in his long travels.

“Although it is difficult to express, I thinkthat the photograph represents my way of speaking and what I try to do throughmy language is to capture the sense of what I breathe and touch with my hands.Not only in appearance but also, and especially, in the essence; trying toexpress nuances and subtleties contained in a single frame. I think that’s partof my personality and my work fully expresses what I am. My story, my soul”.