The Visa Pour l’Image festival returns for the 29th time – to “turbulent time”, in which “photojournalists are obviously needed, and play an essential role which is now more important than ever” as the co-founder and director general Jean-François Leroy puts it
Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration has waged one of the most vicious counter-narcotics campaigns in the world, with even police estimates putting the number of people killed by law-enforcement officers and vigilantes in the past 12 months at more than 6000. Manila-based photographer Carlo Gabuco has been out on the streets since Duterte came to power, recording the fall-out from the violence
“There is something amazing going on here,” says Peggy Sue Amison, the artistic director of East Wing gallery in Dubai, speaking of the work of her Ones To Watch nominee Teresa Visceglia. Her words somehow echo the bellow of a circus ringmaster animating an eager audience. “Teresa is a creator who strikes a resonating chord that grabs viewers by the heart. Her works are surreal and immediately bring to mind not only Federico Fellini but also David Lynch and Diane Arbus.”
The ING Unseen Talent Award is one of the most generous prizes out there for young photographers, with a €10,000 fund to make new work up for grabs, plus mentoring from Nadav Kander and a group show at Unseen Amsterdam for all the finalists. This year, the five shortlisted artists are: Alexandra Lethbridge (b. 1987, UK); Tom Callemin (b. 1991, Belgium); Andrea Grützner (b. 1984, Germany); Robin Lopvet (b. 1990, France); and Stefanie Moshammer (b. 1988, Austria).
Catherine Hyland’s fascination with landscape is the inspiration behind her otherworldly large format images depicting humanity’s attempts – some more effective than others – to tame the environment. It’s an observation that has led to both artistic and commercial commissions, with residencies at venues such as the Focal Point Gallery in Southend for the Radical Essex programme, the Cultural Association Su Palatu Fotografia in Sardinia and the Design Museum in London. She has also made a short documentary for the Sri Lanka Design Festival on the country’s eco-factories.
Intrigued by the huge wooden towers torched every year in Northern Ireland, Polish photographer Mariusz Smiejek got to know the people involved in building them, and found divides still being enforced years after the Good Friday Agreement – and being handed on to the next generation
BJP’s Breakthrough Sessions are open from 23 June – featuring leading industry speakers such as Vivienne Gamble (director, Seen Fifteen), Hamish Crooks (licensing director, Magnum Photos), Jaki Jo Hannan (senior creative producer, AMV BBDO) and Dominic Bell (Webber Represents) and the BJP Breakthrough Awards exhibition, featuring Ryan James Caruthers, Jocelyn Allen, Todd R Darling and Cathal Abberton
A psychotherapist for 15 years, Sian Davey switched careers to photography in 2014 and has made a success of it – she’s now represented by Michael Hoppen Gallery, for example, and her book Looking for Alice was nominated for the Aperture Best Book Award at Paris Photo 2016, and the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation Book Awards 2017.
Hadi Uddin grew up surrounded by photography – his father owned a commercial studio and both technical skill and the ways of the darkroom were second nature by the time he took his place by Uddin senior’s side. He’s now found work as a fashion photographer – and a unique vision in his personal work
Mac Lawrence’s Hidden Dispositions examines the representation of masculinity in his home country, Australia, a place “shaped by conflict, toxic norms and a deeply fragile sense of masculinity”. “Australian culture is rooted in racism, sexism and decades of white male dominance,” he says.
