Who did see this exhibition? Some reflection about the visibility of an exhibition and its subject.
Sebastião Salgado - «Exodes»
Exodes – The exhibition was organized in the Gallery of the Syndicat d’Initiative, 14, avenue de la Libération, Schifflange, Luxembourg
Tuesday-Friday from 2 p.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday-Sunday from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.; Free entry
January, 19 – 27, 2008
«The pictures of the exhibition «Exodes» speak of human pain and misery, immediate and tangible. The photographer wanted to testify of the mutation and reorganization the human community is living. From the beginning Sebastião Salgado invited the associations who are sharing his preoccupations to use his work in order to sensibilise the opinion and to appeal at the responsibility of all of us, political leaders or citizens.
The exhibition is treating 5 themes:
• Refugees and migrants : the instinct of survival;
• The African adrift;
• Mega-cities;
• Struggling for land;
• The children, men and women.
(Source: Frères des Hommes )
I went to see the exhibition and in my opinion Sebastiao Salgado achieves his target which he describes in this sentence : “I hope that the person entering one of my exhibitions does not leave as the same person.”
The pictures in black and white with description confront us with unbelievable human conditions and human suffering. And all this through a photographic and artistic mastery of the highest level. The target of the photographer has been achieved, there is no doubt about this. The target of the exhibition to attract attention on these important themes, in my opinion not sufficiently. Why? Because of the lack of necessary visibility. What a pity that there was no better visibility for this important exhibition. Even if the pictures are from the nineties the theme is always up-to-date and did not lose any importance. I don’t know if the exhibition has already been shown in Luxembourg, and even if it was so, I would have wished a better central place for the exhibition, a bigger hall, better light conditions and more space in order to respond to the importance of the subject. Unfortunately not all of the pictures could be mounted because of the lacking space…. Eventually there could have been also more publicity to attract more visitors. More professionalism could have contributed a lot more to achieve the initiative’s target.
I think that the idea of the Association to realise such an exhibition is excellent and important, and I don’t blame anybody because this exhibition was organized for a good cause but I would wish for future initiatives that an adequate visibility is assured. The theme and the photographer are worth it!
In this context I recommend to have a look to the homepage of Sebastiao Salgado Exodes is online.
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