ULDERICA DA POZZO. THE TORN DAYS
The void of time in prison. Images of the former women’s house in via Spalato
Castle, Friulian Museum of Photography, Piazzale Patria del Friuli 1 - Udine
7 March - 31 May 2026
Tuesday to Sunday (closed Mondays, Easter Sunday, and 1 May)
Special opening on Monday 6 April (Easter Monday)
Inaguration: Friday 6 March at 6 pm
Exhibition produced by Garante dei diritti delle persone private della libertà personale (Guarantor
for the Rights of Persons Deprived of their Personal Liberty) and Civici Musei di Udine (Civic
Museums of Udine) in collaboration with La società della ragione (The Society of Reason) and
Associazione Icaro Volontariato Giustizia ODV (Icaro Justice Volunteering Association, Third-Sector
Organisation).
The photographic exhibition tells the story of a civil and human endeavour that began in 2021: to
radically transform the face of the prison in via Spalato. The aim is to give concrete effect to Article
27 of the Constitution by converting abandoned spaces into dignified places for social
reintegration.
Today, that process has become a reality: in 2024, the new semi-custody unit was inaugurated,
and in 2025 the former women's section wing. Since January 2026, these spaces have hosted
renewed activities, complemented by a theatre and family visiting rooms.
Today the fruits of this process are visible and tangible. After the inauguration of the new semi-
custody unit in 2024 and the former women's wing in 2025, these areas have, since January 2026,
been used for renewed activities. This is complemented by the completion of a theatre and family
visiting rooms: crucial places for preserving emotional ties.
However, conveying the value of this transformation without simplifying its complexity was no
easy task. This is why the choice fell on Ulderica Da Pozzo, a photographer with a deep sensitivity
who has been exploring the memory stored in “abandoned rooms” for years. Having entered the
cells of the former women's section in 2021 “on tiptoe”, the artist managed to capture the soul of
those spaces, inviting the viewer to reflect on the impact that the environment has on the
individual. Through a skilful use of light, her photographs capture details charged with emotional
power: tears in wallpaper, engraved phrases, and layers of paint that, like geological sediments,
trace the passing of days in a time that, for those confined, often seems so stand still.
Five years later, in 2026, the photographer returned to the same places to find them profoundly
changed, almost unrecognisable. The exhibition thus sets two moments and two visions in
dialogue: while work on the past is essential to preserve the traces of those who once lived in
these spaces, the account of their current transformation highlights how redevelopment can
reshape the outlook of those who remain. Where time once seemed slow and motionless, today
the gaze is met by maps and works exploring emotions, symbols of a new beginning and of a
renewed centrality of human relationships.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Ravascletto, Ulderica Da Pozzo embarked on her photographic journey in 1976, making it
her full-time profession from 1980. Her style was refined through dialogue with masters such as
Ferdinando Scianna, Gabriele Basilico, Oliviero Toscani and Franco Fontana, leading her to become
a recognised figure in the field of documentary and social photography.
Her research moves along the fine line between territory and human narrative. In the course of
her career, she has received the CRAF FVG Prize (2002) and the International “Donne di Fiori”
(Women of Flowers) Award (2010). Since 2013, she has also established the Cjasa da Duga in
Ravascletto, an intimate place entirely dedicated to photographic culture.
Her monographs range from ancestral rituals connected with the natural elements - fire, water,
earth and seasons - to profound explorations of human behaviour. Among her most significant
works are “Il fum e l'aga”(The Smoke and the Water) (1998), “Carnia" (2002), “Malghe e malgari”
(Alpine Huts and Herdsmen) (2005), “Fra mare e terra” (Between Sea and Land)(2008), dedicated
to the cultural landscapes of Friuli Venezia Giulia's fishermen, “Oltre le porte” (Beyond the Doors)
(2018), a touching visual investigation into the forgotten voices in Udine's former psychiatric
hospital, and “Femines. Donne del latte” (2020) (Women of Milk). With the 2021 exhibition, “I
ragazzi del novantanove” (The Youth of 1999), the photographer continued her portrayal of Carnia
as a land in perpetual transformation.
In this new exhibition dedicated to the via Spalato prison, Ulderica Da Pozzo confirms her
extraordinary sensitivity in exploring “abandoned rooms”, transforming the signs of time into a
universal reflection on dignity and the human condition.
