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Featured Exhibits /October 24, 2009
Right for Living
Ukrainian Roma village
Photographs by Arthur Bondar
A portrait of a Roma family in their home. Photo by Arthur Bondar
Photographer Arthur Bondar's essay is about a small village of Ukrainian gypsies
near Kiev. It was built in 2005 after the massive flood in western Ukraine.
The villagers lost everything: houses, gardens, clothes, documents. The
government gave them $50 for compensation-not enough even for food. Today there
are 40-50 people living there. Those who stayed have built hybaries (handmade houses). The pieces of carpet, linoleum,
and wood keep them warm. They heat their homes with a burzhuika (small oven) or with small handmade fireplaces. They
earn money in different ways; cadge near the church, tell fortunes by cards or
hands, or simply steal. None of the children have ever been to school. There
are no medications and nobody wants to speak with gypsies at the hospital.
Click here to view the exhibit.
My Fellow Americans
First generation Azeri community in Rhode Island
Photographs by Dennis Yermoshin
Photographer's uncle at his place of work. Photo by Dennis Yermoshin
This essay is about a reconstruction of a life left behind. It is a
portrait of Dennis Yermoshin's family and friends from Azerbaijan; a specific group of people who, due
to the failure of the Soviet government, ended up in America. Through
these photographs, Yermoshin explores the process of adaptation and the endurance
of nostalgia-two unconditional aspects of immigrant life.
Click here to view the exhibit.
The Iron Triangle
A community in New York struggles to earn a living in auto repair shops slated for demolition
Photographs by Kevin Downs
Waiting for work in the Iron Triangle. Photo by Kevin Downs
In Corona, Queens, the area right outside of the new Shea
Stadium is known as the Iron Triangle. Some call it a junkyard. It can be
dangerous to make a living in these chop shops. Young men and women are working
to send their kids to school. It is a place that has enabled many generations
of immigrant workers to make a living. Some are sending their money back home
but others are trying to create a life for their family in the U.S. But now the
city is taking the land to build hotels and condominiums. Hundreds of small
businesses and 5,000 workers are being forced out of their livelihoods in this
part of Queens. Click here to view exhibit.
Panorama
A document of the world economic crisis
Photographs by Freya Najade
Photo by Freya Najade
To show the consequences of the slow down in economy, Freya
Najade focused on closed down premises. Najade believes these abandoned spaces
embody the impact of the crisis on society in general and on individuals
specifically. Of particular interest to Najade are spaces in which one finds
traces of the previous occupier. Some of the premises seem as if they have
just closed down or were left in a hurry. Signs and slogans remind us of good times
but also of efforts to advertise their services or products. However, the future of
these places, and therefore also of the workers, remains unclear. Click here to view exhibit.
Documentary News
"Climate Change in Our World," an exhibit of large-scale color photographs from the
book Earth Under Fire by environmental photojournalist opens
to the public at the American Association for the Advancement of Science Headquarters Atrium, Washington DC, beginning November 10. The show runs through mid-March, 2010. The show is a unique and engaging witness to the effects of
global warming today, including solutions and actions that are underway by
governments, companies, families and kids. It is the only comprehensive visual display on climate and
energy in Washington during the Senate debate and in advance of the
international Copenhagen talks in December. Click here for details.
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. |
