Next #03 by World Press Photo by Schilt Publishing

#03

Ali Ali / Evgenia Arbugaeva / Fatemeh Behboudi / Arnau Blanch / Peter DiCampo / Maika Elan / An-Sofie Kesteleyn /Diana Markosian / Dina Oganova / Javad Parsa / Maria Turchenkova / Veejay Villafranca PARTICIPANTS IN THE 2013 JOOP SWART MASTERCLASS BY WORLD PRESS PHOTO ACADEMY

#03

Hope In Greek mythology, Pandora, the first

contradiction. While hope has taken various

to talk about hope, photographers must first

of All. Anyone who attempts to make some

forms throughout history, the reality is that

look closely at the darkness in society, and

statement about hope must also continue to

these are outnumbered by the countless

capture that reality. And then they must

struggle ‘in spite of all’ difficulty. How long it

cases that have fallen to despair.

strive to continue to struggle with it. Hope is

takes, no one knows. No one knows if it is

something barely there at the end. The

even possible. But at least if there are

woman, was sent to earth bearing a box, which she had been warned not to open.

No doubt the role of photographers is, on

highly individual work of Arnau Blanch and

people who are struggling to find hope, then

When Pandora could no longer resist her

the one hand, not to turn a blind eye to this

Diana Markosian, work that deals with the

it spreads through faint voices in the dark.

curiosity, and lifted the lid, she released

contemporary unease, and not to let people

difficulty of confronting one’s own fears and

Voices that someday will reach someone’s

disasters and evil, such as sickness, malice,

escape reality by touting easy hope. On the

scars, personifies this process.

ear. If I’m permitted at all to use the word

revenge, and suffering. Since then, humans

other hand, it is also not ostentatiously to

have been battling death and anguish. When

grieve in despair.

Pandora panicked and shut the lid, it is said the only thing that did not escape was hope.

hope in these times, what else could hope We should also not forget that one person’s

be than this fragile ray of light, barely

hope can mean menace or defeat to others.

grasped.

So then, how can we approach talking about

Because all hope is based on a particular

hope? It is easy to use stereotypical images,

belief, it cannot be shared by everyone. As

Mariko Takeuchi

Although there are many interpretations

such as a dove or a lily, but these are merely

the Chinese novelist Lu Xun wrote: ‘The fact

photography critic, independent curator and

of this famous story, one reading is that

phony forms of hope. This is because there

that despair is a falsehood is the same as

associate professor of Kyoto University of

humans have been given everything except

is no sense of individuality in such imagery.

hope itself.’ There is no absolute value in

Art and Design, Japan

hope. To this way of thinking, to talk about

One of the largest photography exhibitions

hope. Similar to despair, it has frail worth. If

hope means the difficult act of trying to pry

of the 20th century—The Family of Man

you want to share your hope with someone

open Pandora’s box, once it has been

exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art,

else, it is necessary to be subtly aware of

snapped shut.

New York, in 1955—is an example of this.

this double edge. The portraits of American

The show, which traveled around the world,

children holding guns, by An-Sofie Kesteleyn,

If we look beyond our immediate surround-

featured 503 photographs taken by 273

seem to come from a dreamland, to be

ings, it’s as if we encounter nothing but

people in 68 countries. Yet although the

captured idealistically. But by exhibiting

hopelessness. Government corruption,

exhibition represented the entire human

them alongside notes written by the

environmental pollution, conflict, violence,

race as a one big family, and claimed to be

children, the work thoughtfully suggests

climatic disasters, outrageous incidents,

a song of praise to humanity, it lacked

that hope can also be a kind of madness.

accidents, all seem to be spreading. But

consideration for the background and

circumstances are complex. If you wanted

individuality of each photograph.

to tackle these issues, even one by one, you

Tokyo, September 2013

Four photos exist which were taken clandestinely, at risk of death, at the Auschwitz

could simply freeze. In order to survive in

The true role of photography is the antith-

concentration camp and smuggled out of

this world, we often feel we have no choice

eses of this. Photographers can achieve

the camp in a toothpaste tube. The French

but to turn a blind eye to much that is going

universality by capturing the reality in front

philosopher and art historian Georges

on around us. In this world full of difficult-

of the camera, and delving to reveal a

Didi-Huberman wrote a book about these

to-solve issues, the word hope is also full of

thorough sense of individuality. So in order

controversial photos titled Images in Spite

Hope In Greek mythology, Pandora, the first

contradiction. While hope has taken various

to talk about hope, photographers must first

of All. Anyone who attempts to make some

forms throughout history, the reality is that

look closely at the darkness in society, and

statement about hope must also continue to

these are outnumbered by the countless

capture that reality. And then they must

struggle ‘in spite of all’ difficulty. How long it

cases that have fallen to despair.

strive to continue to struggle with it. Hope is

takes, no one knows. No one knows if it is

something barely there at the end. The

even possible. But at least if there are

woman, was sent to earth bearing a box, which she had been warned not to open.

No doubt the role of photographers is, on

highly individual work of Arnau Blanch and

people who are struggling to find hope, then

When Pandora could no longer resist her

the one hand, not to turn a blind eye to this

Diana Markosian, work that deals with the

it spreads through faint voices in the dark.

curiosity, and lifted the lid, she released

contemporary unease, and not to let people

difficulty of confronting one’s own fears and

Voices that someday will reach someone’s

disasters and evil, such as sickness, malice,

escape reality by touting easy hope. On the

scars, personifies this process.

ear. If I’m permitted at all to use the word

revenge, and suffering. Since then, humans

other hand, it is also not ostentatiously to

have been battling death and anguish. When

grieve in despair.

Pandora panicked and shut the lid, it is said the only thing that did not escape was hope.

hope in these times, what else could hope We should also not forget that one person’s

be than this fragile ray of light, barely

hope can mean menace or defeat to others.

grasped.

So then, how can we approach talking about

Because all hope is based on a particular

hope? It is easy to use stereotypical images,

belief, it cannot be shared by everyone. As

Mariko Takeuchi

Although there are many interpretations

such as a dove or a lily, but these are merely

the Chinese novelist Lu Xun wrote: ‘The fact

photography critic, independent curator and

of this famous story, one reading is that

phony forms of hope. This is because there

that despair is a falsehood is the same as

associate professor of Kyoto University of

humans have been given everything except

is no sense of individuality in such imagery.

hope itself.’ There is no absolute value in

Art and Design, Japan

hope. To this way of thinking, to talk about

One of the largest photography exhibitions

hope. Similar to despair, it has frail worth. If

hope means the difficult act of trying to pry

of the 20th century—The Family of Man

you want to share your hope with someone

open Pandora’s box, once it has been

exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art,

else, it is necessary to be subtly aware of

snapped shut.

New York, in 1955—is an example of this.

this double edge. The portraits of American

The show, which traveled around the world,

children holding guns, by An-Sofie Kesteleyn,

If we look beyond our immediate surround-

featured 503 photographs taken by 273

seem to come from a dreamland, to be

ings, it’s as if we encounter nothing but

people in 68 countries. Yet although the

captured idealistically. But by exhibiting

hopelessness. Government corruption,

exhibition represented the entire human

them alongside notes written by the

environmental pollution, conflict, violence,

race as a one big family, and claimed to be

children, the work thoughtfully suggests

climatic disasters, outrageous incidents,

a song of praise to humanity, it lacked

that hope can also be a kind of madness.

accidents, all seem to be spreading. But

consideration for the background and

circumstances are complex. If you wanted

individuality of each photograph.

to tackle these issues, even one by one, you

Tokyo, September 2013

Four photos exist which were taken clandestinely, at risk of death, at the Auschwitz

could simply freeze. In order to survive in

The true role of photography is the antith-

concentration camp and smuggled out of

this world, we often feel we have no choice

eses of this. Photographers can achieve

the camp in a toothpaste tube. The French

but to turn a blind eye to much that is going

universality by capturing the reality in front

philosopher and art historian Georges

on around us. In this world full of difficult-

of the camera, and delving to reveal a

Didi-Huberman wrote a book about these

to-solve issues, the word hope is also full of

thorough sense of individuality. So in order

controversial photos titled Images in Spite

In Expectation Dina Oganova

During the breakup of the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980s, the people of Abkhazia wanted to cede from Georgia and declare an independent state. A 13-month war, which broke out in 1992, resulted in Georgian military defeat, de facto independence for Abkhazia, and the ethnic cleansing and exodus of thousands of Georgians. Today, Abkhazia is recognized only by Russia and a handful of other countries. Some 200,000 people displaced by the conflict live in Georgia, largely in buildings such as former schools, hospitals, and hotels, which the Georgian government made available to shelter them. One such is ‘Student City’ in Tbilisi—a 14-storey building (intended as student accommodation before the refugees arrived) without a working elevator, and with water and electricity supply problems. Unemployment among residents in Student City is high, and people have to survive on very low incomes. Abkhazia is a painful topic for many Georgians. I was five when the war started, I didn’t even really know the meaning of the word war, but I remember not being allowed to look out of the window or play outside, and everyone talking about it. We talk less about the war now, but Abkhazia still concerns us, and a sense of the loss is very much part of us. The people I spoke to in the Student City all believed that one day they would return ‘home’. For me, this was an embodiment of hope—it had to do with time, patience, and an expectation of happiness.

In Expectation Dina Oganova