Daniele Mattioli - Street Kids in Vietnam

September 9th, 2008 | 2 Comments

Intro

Rather than the usual introduction, here is a brief interview with the photographer.

How did you come to take these photographs?

I was travelling for 6 months in Indochina, and I decided to start my trip of Vietnam. I was traveling from north to south, and in Hanoi I met the people of Koto, an organization which helps street children get a better life. KOTO teaches them how to become chefs, waitresses and to work in the hospitality industry. They put me on in many situations, so I decided to do a project focusing on this social problem while travelling from Hanoi to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). It was a two month trip and I encountered many different places and sites where the problem is visible. Indeed I wanted to focus on this topic as it is rarely mentioned in media. Most of the media are talking about Cambodia (where they surely have many problems) but they are not saying much about Vietnam.

What individual stories would you like to share?

I have learned a lot. Photography for me is an excuse to go deep in people’s lives. I visited a prison for youth. I went there with Koto; they helped me to get inside as a volunteer (photographers and media people are not allowed). I saw 800 kids living in bad conditions, in jail because of small crimes. Many of them have AIDS. They don’t even have parents to visit them. I started to do some photos but I left with the idea to shoot more, and I helped KOTO to donate some presents and do some activities for them. I spoke with one of the most violent ones in there. He was not social to others and they had me sit near him during the dinner. It was good to talk to him and in the end I was listening to him. He looked strong but but sensitive inside. That day was a day to remember for me. It was Christmas day (the most useful Christmas day I ever had).

What are one or two positive outcomes for these kids to hope for?

In particular I heard some positive stories, thanks to many NGO’s and volunteers. I saw kids working in some big hotels, becoming good chefs. They understand where they are from and can start a new life.

What are two or three of the main obstacles?

For sure one problem is the government which does not help these volunteers. It does not help the society. Of course, there is a cultural problem which also reflects some issues from the war which left many poor farmers without much hope. Some of the kids are also abandoned by their families, because there is not enough food and money to keep them. Some are born with the agent orange syndrome. They are not useful for their parents to work the land, so they are left on the street of the city.

(The photographer worked with an NGO in Vietnam. KOTO Street Voices was founded by Jimmy Phan, an Australian-Vietnamese man. The purpose of the organization is to help improve the lives of street kids. For more information, see: www.streetvoices.com.au .)

About the photographer

Daniele Mattioli is an Italian photographer based in Shanghai. He has previously lived and worked in Toronto, Vienna and Sydney. He relocated to Shanghai in 2004.

He travels frequently across China and Asia for editorial projects and assignments. His work ranges from chronicling the Australian outdoor lifestyle to documenting the lives of orphans in Vietnam.

He has been represented by Agency Anzenberger in Vienna since 1995.

The photographer’s website: www.danielemattioli.com

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This gallery will be on display for two weeks, because tomorrow I leave for Cambodia and don’t have time to arrange next week’s show in advance.

I hope you’ll appreciate the photos in this series as much as I do. The photos are eye-catching with bold lines and vivid colors; and they also reveal an important story.

FYI, last week I gave anyone interested the opportunity to donate toward the communities I’ll visit on this trip. The details are posted here. I haven’t received any donations yet. Maybe I need to adjust my pitch. If you’re still interested, feel free to send a gift and I’ll pass 100 percent of it along to people who will use it well.

Once again, the purpose of this gallery is to present different faces and perspectives of people and life around the world. Your comments and conversations are welcome. If you like what you see, please sign up for our email list so you won’t miss any future exhibitions!

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Jill Coleman - People Of the Klein Karoo

September 2nd, 2008 | 7 Comments

Jill Coleman will be returning from Chicago to her home base in the Western Cape of South Africa later this month.  Jill was born in Zimbabwe in 1963 and emigrated to South Africa in 1977.  She is a self taught, freelance photographer and uses her life experience to try to capture emotion and reality.

The full series (of which this is just a part), “People Of The Klein Karoo,” took over 3 years to complete. All the photos were taken right next door to where Jill lived, near the little town of De Rust in the Western Cape of South Africa.  Most of the people in the series are farm workers and their families on Rooi Rivier Plaas (Red River Farm).  Jill prefers to spend at least a year on each documentary series.  She previously spent two years doing “The Recovery Series” on recovery from alcohol and drug addiction at Serenity Rehabilitation Centre, Sedgefield.

Jill’s particular  strength, she feels, is indoor intimate portraiture characterized by gentle natural light through small windows, textures on the walls, and the intimacy of home life, emotion and empathy.  Jill admires photographers such as Dorothea Lange, Roger Ballen, Obie Oberholzer, Steve McCurry, and Sebastiao Salgado amongst others.

Jill writes that it’s very important for her to respect her subjects. She wants to preserve and display the dignity that each person posesses if we would only see it. She hopes to display the series in galleries that well appreciate both the documentary and artistic nature of the images, but for now she is glad that they are more widely accessible as photo journalism.

The following quote by Ansel Adams describes how she feels about photography:

Some photographers take reality… and impose the domination of their own thought and spirit. Others come before reality more tenderly and a photograph to them is an instrument of love and revelation.  Ansel Adams

Jill’s portfolio at IrisF64 (agency)

15×100.com (group project)

Featured photo at JPG Magazine

Jill at MySpace

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I spent six weeks living in Soweto, South Africa in the summer of 1989, and the place and people will always be etched on my mind. Now I’m excited to finally show Jill Coleman’s work. Her photographs are what this gallery is all about. She shows people living on another side of the world with warmth, intimacy, and glimpses of our common humanity.

A request - I will be going to Cambodia on September 9th. Several times a year I take small groups of Japanese people (others are welcome) with me to learn and volunteer in simple ways. I’ll be bringing a gift of cash for a couple wonderful projects.

If you want to learn more and perhaps contribute click here to learn more.

Once again, the purpose of this gallery is to present different faces and perspectives of humanity. Your comments and conversations are welcome. If you enjoy these photographs, sign up for our email list to receive reminders of future exhibitions!

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Edward Myers - Real People Without Homes

August 25th, 2008 | 7 Comments

Intro

Edward Myers lives in San Diego, CA (USA). He regular walks the streets talking with homeless people, making friends with them, learning their stories, and taking photographs of them.

I think the best way to introduce Edward is by inviting you to read the captions of the photographs.

You can see more of his work here: Edward Myers on Flickr

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I appreciate the honesty of Edward Myer’s photographs. You can see it in both the photos and his captions. He’s just a regular guy with a camera taking pictures of people he considers friends, or potential friends. Some are obviously suffering; and some seem to have a peace about them. Looking at this set on the whole, it is a collection of people with stories, not mere images.

There are many people who photograph homeless people who only see them as images. This situation creates a natural aversion in viewers. I’ve hesitated to post photos of homeless people in this gallery for this reason. I think it’s best to hold any photographer who photographs the homeless to a very high standard, and Edward passes that cut for me.

The last gallery ran for two weeks. That was my mistake which I blame on the heat and humidity of summer. I’m looking forward to cool weather and a clearer mind in the Fall.

Once again, the purpose of this gallery is to present different faces and perspectives of humanity. Your comments and conversations are welcome. And if you enjoy these photographs, please sign up for our email list for brief reminders of future exhibitions!

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Benjamin Goss - Intuition

August 11th, 2008 | 5 Comments

Intro

These images come from an ongoing project titled “Intuition” showcased at the Flickr link below. The photographer describes his work as “gritty…uninhibited, revealing, passionate, unpredictable, ironic, spontaneous, and a bit strange as well.”

He says, “I want to come closer to my subject matter and I dont mean with a macro lens.”

He is inspired by other photographers whose images capture people as they are and tap into the mystery and oddity in others, including: Weege, Arbus, Bresson, Araki, Mark, Beard, Avedon, Koudelka, Strömholm, Pettersen, Moon, Frank, Weston, Nachtwey…

Benjamin Goss at Flickr

www.benjamingossphotography.com

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The purpose of this gallery is to present different faces and perspectives of humanity. Your comments and conversations are welcome. If you enjoy these photographs, sign up for our email list so you won’t miss future exhibitions!

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Vero Alisier - Portraits

August 5th, 2008 | 2 Comments

Intro

Vero Alisier was born in Paris and still lives in France. For many years she has been traveling to Asia with her husband. She became very interested in photography starting in 2005. Her main interest is in encountering people and trying to capture those “priceless” shared moments.

Some of her photos have been used by various NGO’s for their campaigns (in postcards, magazines, etc.), and she hopes her images will contribute in some way to improving lives.

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What impressed me about Vero’s work is the sense of intimate contact with her subjects. Looking into their eyes you glimpse their common humanity across the distance. You can see they are economically poor, but they have have great dignity and a full range of emotions.

The purpose of this gallery is to present different faces and perspectives of humanity. While you’re here sign up for our email list so you won’t miss all the great upcoming exhibitions!

2 Comments