Featured Exhibit/April 28, 2009
Homeless in Kyrgyzstan
Photographs by George Hsia
Zhana, Kyrgyzstan. Photo by George Hsia
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the transition from
a socialist to a democratic system of governance with a free
market economy has been difficult throughout the former Soviet republics. Especially concerning is the growth
of the homeless population and declining health status and access to
health care.
Kyrgyzstan is among the poorest countries in the world, and the second poorest in Central Asia. Many homeless simply cannot survive its harsh winters. To escape the cold many hide under manholes. Those who do not live in manholes often lose limbs due to frostbite.
A World Bank report in September 2007 showed that 43.1 percent of
Kyrgyzstan's people lived in poverty in 2005, of which 11 percent were
deemed to be living in extreme poverty. It is estimated that food prices rose 25 percent from January to September 2008.
A correspondent for the newspaper "Vecherniy Bishkek" reports that
among the homeless throughout Kyrgyzstan, 10 people are dying every few
days. At 5 soms ($0.12), for less than the price of bread, you can stay in a warm shelter, but that is still too expensive for some.
Hsia, currently traveling around the world, worked in Silicon Valley for 12 years before quitting his job to pursue a career using photography to fight social injustice issues. In addition to Kyrgyzstan, he has worked in Afghanistan, South Africa, and Turkey. View the Exhibit.
SDN Exhibits Result in Print Sales
SDN is pleased to report that photographer Frank Ward has sold five prints of his work to a buyer from England who first saw his work on SDN.Diana Castillo, a photographer from Mexico, was able to secure two highly successful exhibitions as a result of her exhibit on SDN. Please send us your success stories if you have sold or licensed your work through SDN. Send your success stories to info@socialdocumentary.net.
New York Photo Festival, May 13-19
SDN is proud to be a media sponsor of the New York Photo Festival, curated by William A. Ewing, Chris Boot, Jody Quon, and Jon Levy. These world-renowned curators all bring their personal visions in contemporary photography to the main pavilions of the 2009 edition of The New York Photo Festival. More information.
Portfolio Review
The NYPH'09 Portfolio Review will be the centerpiece of the new Review Pavilion. It is a platform for all levels of aspiring and professional photographers to present their body of work for review and critique by leading experts in the fields of photography, art, media, and advertising and to receive guidance and mentorship for future artistic and commercial career development. The portfolio review will be run by photography book publisher powerHouse Books.
For more information, visit the website at www.nyphotofestival.com
About SocialDocumentary.net
SocialDocumentary.net is a new website for photographers, NGOs, journalists, editors, and students to create and explore documentary websites investigating critical issues facing the world today. Recent exhibits have explored oil workers in the Niger River Delta, male sex workers in India, Central American immigrant women during their journey north, and Iraqi and Afghan refugees in Greece. Click here to view all of the exhibits.
