How does humanitarian action concern us all, here and now? This is a question at the heart of every exhibition at The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva, Switzerland. Last year, Executive Director Paul Hufschmind and his team decided to explore this key question through photography. They dug through their archives – which covers 160 years – before turning to a wellspring of ground-breaking contemporary work: The Prix Pictet. Founded in 2008, this prize recognises photographers who use the medium to draw attention to issues of sustainability. Out of 3,000 past nominees, curators William A. Ewing and Elisa Rusca selected 30 photographers whose compassionate engagement with humanitarian issues prompt empathy and action. These images make up the Human.Kind. exhibition and, now, audiences will get to engage with them in photo book form. Published by Thames & Hudson, the printed volume contains 213 images that demand our fullest attention and empathy.
Every day we are bombarded with photographs showing the devastating consequences of humanitarian issues – from environmental disasters to political conflicts – before they are swiftly replaced with the next piece of news. The fact that these are no longer on our screens does not mean the problems have been resolved. Human.Kind. is about slowing down and fully taking in what is happening. Some photographers in the book prompt this kind of reflection by avoiding the photojournalistic realism to which we’ve grown accustomed . Here, creative approaches seek to engage eyes that have become desensitised to violence. For instance, Nermine Hammam’s (b. 1967) Unfolding (2012) shows footage from army and police brutality in the wake of the 2011 Egyptian revolution. These shots are embedded within 17th and 18th century Japanese prints, which demands us to look closer in order to fully understand what we are being shown.
Human.Kind. also highlights legacies of past atrocities. For instance, Omar Victor Diop (b. 1980) presents the Liberty (2016-2017) series, which recreates Black protests throughout history and places them next to each other. The book format works especially well for this kind of project because the form already prompts the viewer to compare both pages. In one spread, La guerre des femmes 1929 (2016) faces Les Cheminots du Dakar-Niger 1938 et 1947 (2016). The former refers to a two month-long revolt led by at least 25,000 Igbo women against British colonial policies in Nigeria whilst the latter image visualises the railway workers’ strikes in Mali and Senegal. Omar’s use of symbolism and eye-catching compositions make for a collection that shines a piercing light on histories of exploitation, oppression and resistance.
Image-makers also show the power of the camera as a tool to fight against discrimination. Later in the volume, Andrew Esiebo (b. 1978) shares portraits of gay men in everyday settings in the series Who We Are (2010). One subject sits nonchalantly on a gasoline electricity generator, leaning on a blue plastic storage unit and resting his legs on a LG TV. These anonymous, playful shots seek to counter homophobia against the LGBTQ+ community. It chimes with Elisa Rusca’s words in her essay Giving Voice Through Images: “If giving voice and visibility can be seen as a gesture of care, photography itself can be one.” Human.Kind beckons us to learn more about the plight of people around us and be part of creating a better future.
HUMAN.KIND | Thames & Hudson
Image Credits:
- © Andrew Esiebo. From the series Who we are (2010).
- © Maciek Nabrdalik. Maria Brzęcka-Kosk. From the series The Irreversible, 2009-2013.
- © Mila Teshaeva. The hat is off, island of Föhr. From the series InselWesen (2015).
- © Omar Victor Diop. Les Cheminots du Dakar – Niger, 1938 and 1947, from the Liberty series, 2016. Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Magnin-A.
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