Grain #11 by Digital Grain Photo

www.grain.rs

GRAIN Digital

street and documentary photography magazine Issue #11, March 2018.

Frank Blazquez: Albuquerque war zone

No.11, March/2018.

Balkan route

REFUGEES ON THE LAST STRONGHOLD

Photo essay by MILUTIN MARKOVIÄ&#x2020;

Interview

SUZANNE STEIN

LIFE ON SKID ROW

intro First of all, we would like to thank to all of you who supported our efforts to make GRAIN activites so alive. Last February, we had two exibitions - Hrvoje Polan “Stories about nonsense” and Grain Annual - Group exhibiton made of 38 selected photographs and authors you had chance to meet in past two years on our digital pages. Both events went very well and visited. That gave us strenght to keep up our work stronger and stronger. And February became our tradition. We hope the same next year - same time, same place. The other good news is GRAIN paper issue. Yes, GRAIN has landed. Zero issue is out. Dedicated to the authors from former Yugoslavia in serbo - croatian language. And many other activities are ongoing. One of them is great cooperation with Fotojajs photography website from Calcuta, India. As of recent number, you have possibility to see some of the best Indian photographers, and soon, we will make a group exhibition of selected authors. According to our plans, May is the most important month. And city of Užice with the greatest gallery existing in this area - Reflektor, located in former military complex. Its a place of the first GRAIN FEST event - visual production of reality, planned from 25-27th May. The best selected documentary photographers and documentary film makers from Region in one place with various workshops and social enaged debates filled with great party events... Stay tuned for more. Back to actual issue, we made a great conversation with Suzanne Stein, and she brought to us great and deep love story with Doreen, living at the Skid Row. Check her non censored, raw but beautiful and epic essay. Some of the photos GRAIN has honor to publish for the fist time. And enjoy in other essays we ve prepared for you. Let the good light rules! With compliments,

Igor Čoko and Tamara Petrović

#11 CONTENT 003 006 007 008 009 010

Intro Life Wild moment Events: Stories about nonsense exhibition Events: GRAIN ANNUAL exhibition ZORAN JOVANOVIĆ MAČAK: BLAST FROM THE PAST DOSSIER: NINETEES IN SERBIA

020 Milutin markoviĆ: REFUGEES ON The last stronghold 038 INTERVIEW: SUZANNE STEIN - LIFE ON SKID ROW 070 MITAR SIMIKIĆ: RECYCLING OF LIFE 080 FRANK BLAZQUEZ: ALBUQUERQUE WAR ZONE 090 FLORIAN BACHMEIER: ABHAZIA - LAND OF MORTALS 106 Nilanjan Ray: FAITH

IMPRESSUM: Digital Grain, digital magazine showcasing street and documentary photography. Issue #11. March 2018. Editor: Igor Čoko Instagram page editor: Vladimir Živojinović Creative team: Tamara Petrović, Mira Vujović, Vukašin Danilović, Narnya Imbrin Publisher: GRAIN, Husinskih rudara3/11 11060 Belgrade, SERBIA www.grain.rs www.issuu.com/digitalgrain https://www.facebook.com/grainphotomagazine/ Instagram: @grain_magazine E mail: magazin.grain@gmail.com Photo credits: Cover: Milutin Marković Copyright: Using photographs from Grain magazine is not allowed without autors permission. Photographs are protected and alowed to use just for Grain magazine purpose.

LIFE

The Butabika Hospital is the only referral mental hospital in Uganda. It provides care to people with mental illness and out-patient services for people from surrounding areas. Mental illness in rural Uganda faces a stigma resulting in suffering people being isolated or excluded from their communities where their conditions are not understood. An important aspect of the patient rehabilitation program is the creation of â&#x20AC;&#x153;recovery collegeâ&#x20AC;? activities, where in-patients receives psychological support and are made aware about the challenges they will face once they are dismissed from the hospital. Some of the coaches are, in fact, former hospital in-patients who are now able to share their experience and help others throughout activities such as drawing classes, yoga, and administrative tasks. Photo credits: Francesco Marchetti

WILD MOMENT

Removing of Dimitrije Tucović monument which is his grave at the same, from Slavija roundabout in Belgrade, because of building of singing fountain and Slavia square reconstructuion... This photograph is award winner in Balkan Photo festival 2017. Cultural Heritage category. Congratulations to Vladimir!

Photo credits: Vladimir Živojinović

EVENTS : GRAIN ANNUAL EXHIBITION

Finally, GRAIN - printed edition just happened! In monochrome, dedicated to photographers from ex Yugoslavia area and in serbo croatian language. Whit this release, GRAIN just opened new page in his existing. A great common exhibition with 38 selected works and photoraphers from recent Grain issues, held on promotion of the papper issue in Bozidarac gallery. It was great to see all of the people from photography world at one place. And we would like to say thanx to all of you for support and understanding. See you next february, since this exhibition just became a traditional.

Photo credits: DuĹĄko VukiÄ&#x2021;

EVENTS : HRVOJE POLAN - STORIES ABOUT NONSENSE EXHIBITION

In cooperation with Students Library Svetozar Markovic and Grain, Hrvoje Polan held his first solo exhibition in Belgrade, presenting “Stories about Nonsense” series. We spoke with Hrvoje about his fieldwork, empathy in photography and how far is sometimes necessary to go for the story. And whats the point of the nonsense? After Zagreb, Pula, Hrvatska Kostajnica, Novi Sad and many others, we were proud to present his work in Belgrade. He deserved it a long time a go, but its never too late for essays such is this one. Next stop is Užice at the Grain Fast, later in May. We will keep you updated. Photo credits: Nataša Matović

DOSSIER

BLAST FROM THE PAST:

NINETEES IN SERBIA

photo essay by: Zoran Jovanović Mačak

Students protests, Belgrade 1996. Fight between supporters of Slobodan MiloĹĄeviÄ&#x2021; and oposition protesters during contra protests at Terazije, Belgrade, 1996.

“Blast from the past” is a dossier dedicated to the Ninetees, last decade of the past century that most of people wants to forget. GRAIN presents work of Zoran Jovanović Mačak (Pančevo, Serbia 1962), award winning photojournalist at Večernje novosti newspapers, who caught some of the most effected moments from the Ninetees. Zoran Jovanović Mačak finished primary and secondary school in Pančevo, and he is photographic active since 1977. Since 1982 till 1994 - he worked as a freelance photographer cooperated with various newspapers from fromer Yugoslavia. Since 1994. he works at VeVečernje novosti newspapers where most of these photographs are published. He is member of Journalists Association of Serbia since 1985 and International Association of journalists since 1994, member of ULUPUDS (Association of applied arts and designers of Serbia), Contributor of children foundation UNICEF since 2000: UNICEF photographer for Serbia. Founder of Association of photography fans: RawSvetlopis (Raw Painting with light) 2016. Author of many one man exhibitions and one of the most influenced photo journalists in Serbia.

“Angel of mercy” over Pančevo. Oil refinery in Pančevo has been one of the first targets during NATO air rides in Serbia, bombed for seven times. Pančevo, O8.06.1999

“Save the Yugoslavia” political protest held on Ušće, Belgrade, 1991.

Protests of the serbian political opposition, held on KaraÄ&#x2018;orÄ&#x2018;ev park, Belgrade, 1995.

Waiting in line for supplies at Republica Square, Belgrade, 1991.

Twelve oxes for the poor during the period of sanctions and hunger, given by Gipsy gastarbaiter Franjo Kalgaras during his engagement celebration. Vrsac, Serbia, 1994.

Serbs, refugees from Western Slavonia in Croatia, trying to find a shelter in the city of Vukovar, May1995.

Demolished Post office in PriĹĄtina, during NATO air rides, March 1999.

BALKAN ROUTE

REFUGEES

on the last strongHOLD

photo essay by: Milutin MarkoviÄ&#x2021;

Šid in northern Serbia is the last town before the Croatian border, where refugees make a stop on their way to try make it to the EU. In the abandoned factory Grafosrem, they spend time in a temporary shelter, where they sleep, cook and wait for their smugglers to take them further. With frequent and sometimes violent pushbacks from Croatia, the factory has been a busy place in the last couple of months. Besides factory a lot of them sleep in the “Jungle”(fields and bushes in the area).

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Milutin MarkoviÄ&#x2021; (b.1998) is a documentary photographer born and based in Belgrade, Serbia. During 2016, Milutin covered major events in Serbia working as a photojournalist for daily newspapers and national press agency. At the end of 2016, Markovic's main interest was documenting the life of refugees on the Balkan route, where he developed his project about migrants in Belgrade warehouses. Since, Milutin has attended numerous workshops including with: Klavdij Sluban, VII Agency in Sarajevo with Gary Knight and Ron Haviv and a Noor-Nikon masterclass with Pep Bonet and Kadir van Lohuizen. Milutin is focused on developing local multimedia long term stories working in both his and neighbour countries. In 2017. he got 3rd place award for Documentary photography on the Rovinj Photo Days.

INTERVIEW: SUZANNE STEIN, Photographer

LIFE ON SKID ROW I don’t think that ethics and morality should ever stand in the way of a meaningful image, especially when there are large populations of people living in poverty or unfair conditions without representation of any kind . Sometimes I don’t take pictures of course....I don’t ever photograph accidents, or if someone is sick... unless it was a critical part of a visual narrative Interview by: Igor Čoko Photo: Suzanne Stein / http://www.suzannesteinphoto.com https://suzannesteinphoto.blog Copyright: Suzanne Stein /All rights reserved

Suzanne Stein is one of the most important life and street photographers. These words are strong on many levels. All you need is to see her work, storytelling and approach to people. She became worldwide famous by her incredible and haunting photographs taken of homeless residents on Los Angeles’ infamous Skid Row. She captured the images as she follows locals, many with drug addictions , and documents their everyday lives. “I started taking pictures while on a trip to Europe in June 2015. Previously, I had been an artist that worked primarily with pencil, ink, and graphite. When I started, I was using an iPhone. I knew almost immediately that photography was going to turn my life upside down, and that I would be able to use my personal life experiences in a way that I’d never imagined. A month later, I bought a camera. Now, when I think of my life, I think: Before camera, and Now. I can take my camera, and, together with whoever or whatever happens to be in front of me, tell a dynamic, ever changing story....I am especially captivated by people who present to me in an emotionally challenging manner, and who have an intensity that’s immediate and complete. They force me to adapt to the present in order to make a picture that is my best effort at accurately conveying and representing the person or circumstance that is apparent to me in the few seconds it took to record the image. Everything and everyone can change in an instant, and nothing is ever the same twice. This provides tremendous motivation for me, and is the most powerful and important aspect of the pursuit of a picture I’m reasonably satisfied with. I’m always after a narrative of some kind, whether it’s at a parade, the beach, or in an economically deprived neighborhood in Los Angeles. I love minute, insubstantial instants as well as images that attempt a strong social document. One moment in an image can convey everything from an everyday instant to a big, heavy truth that people from wildly different backgrounds can absorb almost instantly. These narratives are present everywhere, running through everyone’s reality, and if I’m able to do the job effectively, a picture can tell a story no matter where it was taken”, she wrote in her biography at her website. “I first saw Skid Row in a drive through downtown Los Angeles. I was immediately captivated by all of the people, it was crazy and loud and electric. I just really felt compelled to photograph it. Skid Row is a place where people who don’t have homes live, many in tents. It is a dumping ground for the mentally ill, and mentally handicapped. Lots of drug abuse....but also many great people full of life as well” Suzanne said in her interview given to Grain. The most important thing, by my oppinion in your work is story telling, sense and feeling you have to the people from the streets. Long, detailed and deep description in captures people can read at your blog and website. How hard and important is that kind of approach? Narrative is critical for me....I do like fast and fun images that don’t necessarily tell a story or are stylized but in general, even a fast snap should tell a story of some kind, in a moment. Without narrative you have nothing as far as I’m concerned....

How far you have to go to tell the story? Sometimes very far... I do what I have to do and almost always no matter what I live doing it. It’s not for everyone, working w a camera in Skid Row or places similarly afflicted but there are many rewards. While working, did you get into situation to miss the shot because of some ethical or moral reason? I don’t think that ethics and morality should ever stand in the way of a meaningful image, especially when there are large populations of people living in poverty or unfair conditions without representation of any kind . Sometimes I don’t take pictures of course... I don’t ever photograph accidents, or if someone is sick... unless it was a critical part of a visual narrative. Does it all affects to you personally? Where is the line between empathy and photography? Yes it affects me but mostly afterward.. When I’m shooting I often don’t think hard about what’s being said because I’m so focused on making an image. Later on it can be profoundly affecting though and has permanently changed my outlook and feelings about life and people. You have been out of Skid Row for some time. What is the difference at the streets worldwide at the places you visited and Skid Row? I went back to Skid Row recently, and will return for the summer I think. Other places in the world that are in poverty are worse... in Skid Row, although it’s dangerous and dirty and rough, there’s food st the missions three times a day, policemen who try hard, religious groups that drive through ... People there get some attention. In other parts of the world like Istanbul it’s much, much more brutal. What has happened there in the meantime, with the people from your photos, when you came back ? Mostly people are older, and more damaged by their addictions or mental illness. More aged.... Women are the main heroes in your photos. Their personal stories, emotions they are getting through. You make them beautiful in whole that personal down. Which one made the most impressions to you? Thank you! I love them all very much... I think India and Genevine have affected me the most deeply on a personal level. I care about the others just as much, but those two are the most vulnerable.

I felt that with Doreen… I was gone ten months, and I returned last week to Skid Row hoping desperately to find some of the people I’d photographed before I left California. I found Doreen, and, in my absence, she had found someone. These portraits and the images from the day I spent with Doreen and Gary speak for themselves… Being in love is a lottery win when it’s for real, and it can happen to anyone, anywhere. These pictures prove some of the trite nonsense that reads as nothing more than tired drivel to the jaded. To me, these images are intimate, intense, sexual but not pornographic, somewhat graphic without being obscene, and a personal history of a pretty straightforward afternoon spent in the arms of someone trusted. I’m beyond tired of idealized images of love and sexuality. I’m sick of airbrushed pictures of already unblemished people who represent nothing but a media display or advertising effort. And… it’s just unfair and unfortunate that most images of deep romance seem to star much younger people, leaving an entire population out of the game. I stopped by to say hi, and was invited in to take pictures of these moments. I declined initially, unsure. But after Doreen told me that I needed to step inside to see them, I did so….and I immediately got hooked on the sight. edit by author: Some of the photographs have their premiere in Grain magazine. Thanks for that Suzanne!

Love Portrait

I immediately started shooting pictures. I couldn't believe how perfectly beautiful they were inside the small tent pitched in Skid Row, that all of this intensity inside the tent was a secret world that only they inhabited.... and me too for a time.

As it appears from the outside, their homestead in Skid Row reflects very little life. This was what I saw when I showed up one morning to say hi to Doreen.

Not one picture is posed....I feel that with a sharp eye and speedy recognition of "decisive moments", a photographer should be able to capture occurences and compose so that a naturally occurring position or scene is perfectly posed...without any input from the photographer, as moments that happen spontaneously between people, caught on the fly. With a sharp eye and speedy recognition of "decisive moments", a photographer can accomplish a great deal without manipulation of elements within the frame.

As they talked together, the implied sexuality in evidence here is really a level of acceptance and comfort. Hand positions reflect ease with each other and comfort with themselves as individuals.

Although not obvious to outside observers, there's a lot of life inside these tents that are such a big part of the visual impression of Skid Row. They're full of lives being lived, and tremendous intensity, contrasting sharply with the daily activities going on around them.

Valentine"s Day rose...Skid Row is an industrial area. Toy wholesalers, seafood warehouses, pallet jacks, workmen.... the neighborhood has a double identity.

Getting Dressed Getting dressed on Skid Row in Los Angeles has at times a different meaning, and by other standards can be incomplete. It's common to see people's bodies in various states of dress.

LIFE

RECYCLING OF LIFE

photo essay by: Mitar Simikić

Series of these photographs in the local shape and many of its colours shows a few lives on the margin. It is about people who earn for life collecting wastage and selling it in a market. For ten years family Salihovic from Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina lives collecting and selling westage. Five members of this family aren’t hungry or thirsty as they say. They behave to their job like all other employed people. Every day they wake up at the same time, prepare and came across the same road, which is the same for years. As they go through different towns in an old Mercedes, the car, they meet local people. They have known them for a long time and they help them from time to time. They give them things they don’t use and more. People see the Salihovic family is good and honest, they live from their own work and they don’t damage anybody. When you ask them something, you should believe they less complain than other people. The father of this family, Ahmo says if thay don’t have their own home they don’t live without hope they will found solution for their problem. Ahmo and his third wife Melvida are honest companions to each other. They share their job. Ahmo collects metals: capper, iron, aluminium, plastic and Melvida things for home and clother. Melvida goes to the market two times a week, on Tuesday and Friday and there sells things. They earn in average 100 euro a week selling things. It is for all their costs. When you count everything, they earn on average salary. It is enough for five members family, for their elementary needs. Additional saurce of help is money from municipality they have as poor family. They have financial help for education of their children and they sometimes get food packages. Winter is the most difficult for family Salihovic. During the winter, market doesn’t work. But during the winter metal is more expensive. They check it careffuly. If they have enough capper, the fee of it is higher during the winter, they can earu enough money then. Collecting of westage and selling of it Gipsies did in the past. Salihovici are the invisible Bijeljina family. Maby their example shows us through a little bit open door that the world goes with strong inertion. While that big world creates everything it cam imagine on ordinary human being can see less nad less. In the meantime we must live in that world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mitar SimikiÄ&#x2021; is a documentary photographer from Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. A great interest in the media of photography is shown during the basic studies at SPU, Academy of Arts, Department of Graphic Design. After completing his basic studies, he enters in master's studies at the Academy of Art, Art direction, direction Photography in Novi Sad, Serbia 2014. His interest is based on photo stories in the form of series and longterm projects, a reality photograph which was changed in accordance with the way of life and social values.

PEOPLE

albuquerquE

WAR ZONE

photo essay by: Frank Blazquez

I explore the counter-narrative within the periphery of Albuquerque, New Mexico in the United States. Many of my subjects are felons, victims of substance abuse, gang members, and sex-workers; some are not. I tend to focus around those who identify as Mexican, Mexican-American, Latinx, Chicanx, Spanish, and/or Hispanic. Pertaining to the gangs of New Mexico, 18th street and factions associated with SureĂąos 13 are the most prevalent. Others include: East Side San Jose 16, South Side, South Side San Jose, Los Padillas, BWP, BurqueĂąos, Los Carnales, West Side Locos, 1706, and many more. Some of these are strictly male-prison gangs. Exploring these subjects is dangerous. I almost died by armed robbery in October of 2017. Three gunmen attempted to murder me execution style. Luckily, I escaped with my life, and a new vision to keep pushing forward to show the rest of the world why New Mexico operates the way it does. Above all, I deliver the New Mexican symbols that some people tend to ignore intentionally and unintentionally. It is my obligation to exhibit these signifiers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR My name is Frank A. Blazquez and I currently live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I attend the University of New Mexico where I conduct most of my research. I identify as pure Mexican. I possess an enormous amount of disdain for law enforcement as this particular gang has waged war against all non-white races here in America. Simply stated, I hate cops. I will do anything in my power to expose these criminals as they proceed to torture the brown people of New Mexico and other places in America. This creed gives me the motivation I need to wake up in the morning and to keep my camera active.

REALITY

ABKHAZIA LAND OF MORTALS photo essay by: Florian Bachmeier

Apsny, the given name in the old language of the people living in this little stretch of land, between the northern shore of the Black Sea and the snow covered peaks of the southwestern Caucasus, is transcribed like that, land of mortals, or more popular, land of souls. And life is still fragile here, with memories on war, death and forced exiles still fresh and omnipresent. A frozen conflict, a disputed region, specially the district of Gali, the borderland with Georgia, populated mostly by Mingrelians, ethnic Georgians, living still with fear and in precarious conditions. Approximately 45.000 people fled from there at the outbreak of the Georgian-Abkhaz war in 1992 and returned in the years after the conflict to their homes, living under constant observation, with restricted rights in an underdeveloped, war-affected and poverty-struck region. After the fall of Sukhumi to Abkhaz Militia and their north-caucasian allies, outraged by rumors and reported killings of Abkhazian by Georgian military, many thousands of ethnic Georgians were executed and killed, 50.000 people abandoned the city fleeing to Georgia. War, war crimes and extreme cruelty left deep scares in society. Living in a place that does not exist on political maps, every individual struggles day after day with lack of perspectives and broken dreams. After more than 20 years of isolation, all hope is reduced to personal achievements on a small scale, to make the best out of a situation as a pawn in a time of new political tensions between Europe and Russia, at the same time protectors and jailers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Florian Bachmeier, born 1974 in Tegernsee, Germany. He works as a freelance photographer, represented by N-Ost Network for Eastern Europe Reporting (Berlin). In 1995 he started with longer trips with the camera to Mauritania, Mali, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Now he is working for various clients mainly in Germany and Austria as well as for national and international media such as Der Spiegel, Die Zeit, Terra Mater, GEO, SĂźddeutscher Verlag, Wiener Presse, Salzburger Nachrichten, Datum, Die Furche, Tageswoche, Times, PeriĂłdico Digital, Alps Magazine, Servus in Stadt und Land, 11Freunde and others. From 2009 he developed mainly projects in Eastern Europe, working in Albania, Kosovo, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Moldova and Bulgaria. At present he is working on a long-term project on the Black Sea.

RITHUALS

FAITH

photo essay by: Nilanjan Ray

Faith is not about belief. Faith in fact, has very little to do with what beliefs you hold; rather it allows you to hold them. Faith is a sacred, deep, emotionally involved kind of trust that you enter into, with your whole being. Faith is the kind of trust that, when it has been broken, it hurts deep inside. But then, faith is what finds a way to trust again despite the hurt. Faith is a basic aspect of human nature. We live in a universe that is so awe inspiring, so infinite, so grandly complicated that all of human knowledge amounts to only a tiny fraction of reality. Indeed, much of human perception about reality is pure construct, because the whole of infinity cannot be understood by finite human minds. A Religious Faith is not a collection of people who share beliefs, but a community of people who have made the commitment to trust one another to care for each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spirits and souls, and who join together for a Faith filled purpose. Blind Faith is a trust that is not examined, not understood, and of which requires only body and soul, neglecting the mind and the spirit. Pure Faith is the kind of trust that you hold even when your rational mind says you should not. This is a two edged sword, because at times the ability to hold a pure Faith is a blessing, at other times it is simply Blind Faith in disguise.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR NILANJAN RAY (b. 1959) has a handful of exposed stock on “HUMAN INTEREST” and keeps stock of other people’s money in a Bank since it is his profession. He received wide appreciation Internationally as well as Nationally. He received Merit Prize from National Geographic, USA & National Award from Photo Division, Govt. of India. Other than above, his photographs are selected for exhibition at British Council, UNICEF, ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, Calcutta, LALIT KALA ACADEMY, New Delhi etc. Photographs are also selected for a Book” Framed City” – published at Indian Art Festival, New Delhi. Photographs are also selected for a Book “INDIA- 5 Senses “by Roli Books. Photographs & Articles are published regularly in leading daily Newspapers and Magazines. He received letter of appreciation from Maitre Henri Cartier-Bresson. Paris.

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