Moving Walls, a photography exhibition documenting social justice and human rights

By Fiana Gantheret

Following up on the implications of photojournalism in humanitarian settings, today’s post will look into the Open Society Foundations Moving Walls exhibits. Open Society Foundations have organized, since 1998, an annual documentary photography exhibition entitled Moving Walls, which presents the work of several photographers about subjects related to social justice and human rights issues.

Moving Walls 20 is this year’s edition, and is exhibited in the New York offices of Open Society Foundations until 13 December 2013. Each photographer’s exhibit comprises about 20 pictures documenting one subject. 20 images that depicts a reality.

Borderland: North Korean Refugees

Katharina Hesse‘s work shows North Korean refugees and activists that help them cross the border between North Korea and China, as well as landscapes of the fields that these refugees have to go through to escape.

P1040100

Read more

Emiliano Larizza: Aesthetical photo journalism in humanitarian settings

by Nicola Popovic

“Say: ‘peace’!”

Pictures are part of Emiliano Larizza’s work that won the World Press Photo contest in 2012

Emiliano Larizza1

© Emiliano Larizza, 2011.

An art exhibition of pictures taken in humanitarian settings always moves us, leaves us thinking about what we can do, what we have done, how we live and maybe even leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. I wonder what the pictures have changed in the person’s life they portray. Images are powerful. They have moved people, changed their mind, influenced political decisions and even have a say over investments in development cooperation and humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, mass media often uses an emotive and polarizing discourse which influences the visual representation of the already established. Read more