When photographers seek to portray scenes of humanitarian suffering in order to bring attention to issues such as poverty and hunger, they have to be careful for there is a thin line between respectful portraits and voyeurism. When they cross that line, it is often referred to as “poverty porn.” The definition of which is as follows:
Even artists as prolific as Jacob Riis, who famously documented life in New York City tenements around the turn of the century, have been levied with criticisms of this sort. The most recent photographer to commit a faux pas of this nature was an Italian artist by the name of Alessio Mamo, who traveled to India for a photo series.
Mamo posed the individuals he met sitting in front of tables fully-stocked with fake food, hands covering their eyes. He wanted to make a statement through juxtaposing images of gluttonous luxury with shots of people in need. However, many found his work to be insensitive and inappropriate. Hari Adivarekar, a photojournalist from India, wrote
Another person with experience in the photojournalism industry, Antonio Olmos, found the images problematic as well, but still sympathized with Mamo, saying
However the photographer responsible for the controversial images did get a chance to defend himself in a statement. He expressed regret for his work yet also made it clear that he had intended no harm with the photographs, saying
The post A Photo Series Documenting Impoverished Parts of India Has Received Criticism For Depicting “Poverty Porn” appeared first on Resource. via RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230553 https://ift.tt/2AdeCrn
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
October 2021
Categories |