13 August – 25 September 2013 / Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki
Prix Pictet Commissions
Munem Wasif – Water 2009
Ed Kashi – Earth 2010
Chris Jordan – Growth 2011
Simon Norfolk – Power 2013
Prix Pictet Power (slideshow projection)
Robert Adams, Daniel Beltrá, Mohamed Bourouissa, Philippe Chancel, Edmund Clark, Carl De Keyzer, Luc Delahaye, Rena Effendi, Jacqueline Hassink, An-My Lê, Joel Sternfeld, Guy Tillim
In collaboration with: Pictet & Cie, Candlestar
The Museum of Photography, Thessaloniki presents the photographic commissions of Munem Wasif, Ed Kashi, Chris Jordan, Simon Norfolk (slideshow), organized as part of the international award Prix Pictet.
The works of the four artists – who undertook the commissions in Bangladesh, Madagascar, Kenya and Afghanistan respectively during the fourth cycles of the award – are presented for the first time in Greece.
The themes of the Prix Pictet were “Water”, “Earth”, “Growth” and “Power”. In addition, the exhibition includes a slideshow projection with the works of the 12 shortlisted artists of the fourth Prix Pictet, “Power” (Robert Adams, Daniel Beltrá, Mohamed Bourouissa, Philippe Chancel, Edmund Clark, Carl De Keyzer, Luc Delahaye-winner, Rena Effendi, Jacqueline Hassink, An-My Lê, Joel Sternfeld, Guy Tillim).
The Prix Pictet is a global www.prixpictet.com
Munem Wasif – Salt Water Tears: Lives Left Behind in Satkhira Bangladesh
Water Commission
Munem Wasif’s images were made in the Satkhira region of south-west Bangladesh where, every year, thousands of people die of easily preventable water related diseases. As a result of climate change and unplanned shrimp farming, the area experiences frequent natural disasters, erratic rainfall and a steady increase in the salinity of the water table. Established structures of work and societies centred on work have largely broken down. Farmers are reduced to occasional labour and many people have to venture huge distances to find fresh water, fish and housing materials, all of which used to be available closer to home. In so doing they expose themselves to a terrifying array of risks, including attacks from dog sharks, king cobras and, ironically, the endangered Bengal tiger. The resulting images are a searing yet sensitive call to action.
www.munemwasif.com
Ed Kashi – Madagascar, A Land Out of Balance
Earth Commission
Madagascar is classified as one of the world’s top three ‘hotspots’ for biodiversity; yet it is also one of the poorest and most environmentally challenged countries in the world. Through the pictures that Ed Kashi made there we see the compromised beauty of this threatened island. Kashi says, This Commission for the Prix Pictet is in direct response to the global cry to stop and take responsibility, seen through the dignified and vibrant people of south-east Madagascar.
www.edkashi.com
Chris Jordan – Ushirikiano: Building a Sustainable Future in Kenya’s Northern Rangelands
Growth Commission
Chris Jordan calls the series of photographs he made in Kenya Ushirikiano(‘partnership’ or ‘collaboration’ in Swahili). His series focuses on the precarious existence of the drought stricken communities that inhabit Kenya’s Northern Rangelands. As he explains, “The Prix Pictet Commission took me on a thousand-mile photo-documentary safari in a part of Kenya that most tourists never see. There I encountered a confederation of NGOs working closely with local tribes to create a sustainable way of life based on principles of environmental stewardship, wildlife conservation and peace. Despite enormous adversity – poverty, drought and wildlife poaching for starters – and some dubious intrusions of outside religious, commercial and educational culture, this quiet mini-revolution, led by a council of tribal elders, is bringing peace and stability to a huge area of Kenya. Ironically, their chances of success in the long run depend largely on whether the so-called first world can shift our own paradigm, as this part of Kenya increasingly is being ravaged by the effects of global climate change.”
www.chrisjordan.com
Simon Norfolk – The Disaster Season
Power Commission
The photographs are the result of a series of fieldtrips to Afghanistan supported by the Swiss-based humanitarian organisation Medair, Prix Pictet’s charity partner for the fourth cycle of the Prize. Medair has been active in Afghanistan since 1996, helping communities to learn survival techniques in the face of natural disasters. They also teach and implement Disaster Risk Reduction strategies, such as flood prevention infrastructure, so that communities have the power to protect themselves from subsequent threats.
www.simonnorfolk.com
This is the fourth time that the Museum of Photography presents the international photography award Pictet. The first two years the award was included in the museum exhibition series “The four elements of nature and man” and was part of the exhibitions “Water-Currents” (2008-2009) and “Earth-Tracks” (2009-2010). Those exhibitions also encompassed works by Greek and international photographers produced by the museum. The third year the works of Pictet for “Growth” were exhibited at the Museum on their own.