By Elisé Saraceni
If you haven’t an appreciation for the artistry of photojournalism, wander through the foyer of the Constitution Square Building in Ottawa to experience the jolt one photograph can create.
An Italian woman with burn injuries lying bandaged in a hospital bed, the coagulating blood of Evander Holyfield’s bitten ear, a New York prostitute and drug addict bathing from a bottle of saved water, and the rippling bulges of skin that hang from a sumo wrestler’s legs are only some of the many vivid images you will experience at this year’s World Press Photo Exhibition.
“It’s definitely an eye-opener,” says Fateema Sayani, a Carleton University student. “I like the fact that they may have some torture and blood on one side, and then the second side will be unexpectedly nice, artful and beautiful.”
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the National Press Club, the exhibition has been brought to Ottawa for the first time.
Sun Microsystems of Canada and the Royal Netherlands Embassy have sponsored the event.
The travelling exhibition is the result of a worldwide annual contest on press photography which can be seen in Ottawa until Dec. 2 in the Constitution Square Building, located at 350 Albert St.
“Our main goal is to strengthen the position of press photography, and we do this in the perspective of freedom of the press, with a goal to stimulate the quality of press photography, to broaden the free flow of information, and in a way, to further international understanding,” says Maarten Vervatt, a World Press Photo Organization representative.
Each year an independent international jury, consisting of nine members, judges the entries submitted by photojournalists, agencies, newspapers and magazines from all corners of the world.
This year the competition attracted 3,627 photographers from 115 countries, submitting 36,041 entries.
“The exhibition will be shown at about 65 different venues in 35 countries worldwide,” says Vervaat, “and all of these photographs are exhibited without any form of censorship.”
Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to view the exhibition as it travels around the globe. It contains over 200 photographs representing the best in press photography of the past year.
But Vervaat says the exhibition should also be seen as a historical document containing the world’s biggest events of 1997.
One exhibited photograph is the ever-familiar image of British Princes Harry and William on the day of their mother’s funeral. Their solemn expressions capture the emotion of the moment.
The World Press Photo Exhibit is a clear testiment to the power of the photograph to transcend cultural and linguistic frontiers.