A world of emotion viewed through a lens

THE 2011 WORLD PRESS PHOTO EXHIBITION

• The quiet dignity of a young Afghan girl disfigured for fleeing her husband’s home;
• The fiery death of a suicide jumper;
• The devastating aftermath of the Haiti and China earthquakes;
• The raw emotion felt by rioters in Thailand; and
• The beauty of a soaring bird.

These emotions and more have been captured by some of the world’s leading press photographers and will be on view for Aucklanders to see as part of the 2011 World Press Photo Exhibition, being brought to Auckland by Rotary from 15 September to 9 October 2011.

This travelling exhibition is the result of an annual worldwide press photography contest, with an international jury selecting winners from over 108,000 images entered in the competition in 2011. The prize winning photos are then assembled into an exhibition of over 160 photos, which travels to 45 countries, including New Zealand, during the course of a year.

“Although some of the photos are achingly beautiful, such as the prize winning nature shots, others are more disturbing, even brutal, and definitely not for the faint hearted”, says Craig Dealey, Rotary Auckland.

“As New Zealanders, we are lucky to live in a peaceful and beautiful land and generally, we have a good standard of living. These photos force us out of our sheltered cocoons and encourage us to view the reality that is life for other, less fortunate people around the world.”

The overall prize, the World Press Photo of the Year, is awarded for the single photograph that represents an issue, situation or event of great journalistic importance, and does so in a way which demonstrates an outstanding level of visual perception and creativity.

This year, that prize went to South African photographer, Jodi Bieber, for her portrait of an 18 year old Afghan girl who was brutally disfigured, with her nose and ears sliced off, as retribution after fleeing her husband’s home and complaining of violent treatment by her in-laws.

Judges said the photo sent out an enormously powerful message to the world and that it made people ask “What has happened, What’s going on?”..….it was the picture that asked the most important questions.

The World Photo Exhibition is the only international event of this stature, not simply bringing together pictures from all parts of the globe but also reflecting trends and developments in photojournalism, and revealing how the press gives us the news.

This is only the second year the exhibition has been shown in Auckland, with Rotary Auckland securing the rights to the Auckland exhibition from 2010. It is their vision that the exhibition will have a long term future in this city and become a destination date on the annual calendar, helping to stimulate world understanding, the transfer of knowledge, and the development of photojournalism.

Auckland Exhibition: 15 September to 9 October 2011
Venue: The Nathan Club, 40 Customs St East, Britomart, Auckland CBD
Entry fee: $5 entry fee. Proceeds donated by Rotary Auckland to local charities

ENDS

Released on behalf of World Press Photo by Jackie Ellis, spice communications group tel 09 360 8500 or email Jackie@spice.co.nz.

Notes:

2011 Winners’ Gallery: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/winners/2011

World Press Photo is an independent, non profit organisation based in Amsterdam, where World Press Photo was founded in 1955. Its main aim is to support and promote internationally the work of professional press photographers. Over the years, World Press Photo has evolved into an independent platform for photo journalism and the free exchange of information. World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is supported worldwide by Canon and TNT.