Images from Kristen Ashburn’s new book I Am Because We Are will be on view at the powerHouse Arena in DUMBO Brooklyn from March 25 - April 19.
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| I Am Because We Are |
2009 © Kristen Ashburn |
“I Am Because We Are is a book that touches the heart. In photographing the grieving, devastated, still beautiful, children of Malawi, victims of the AIDS epidemic that has murdered their parents, Kristen Ashburn gives everyone on the planet the opportunity to come to the aid of those most bereaved and helpless in this world,” said Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Color Purple. “It is a rare gift she gives: for we know in our deepest emotions that without the world coming to the defense and care of these children, the least of these, there will be no world peace.”
I Am Because We Are is the companion volume to the acclaimed forthcoming documentary film directed by Nathan Rissman and written and produced by Madonna. This book of images by award-winning photojournalist Kristen Ashburn—culled from her work in Malawi and Africa over the past seven years as well as from her specially commissioned photographs for the film—provides an intimate look at the lives of eight Malawian children featured in the film and reveals the harsh reality of the AIDS pandemic throughout southern Africa.
Kristen’s images were also featured in a special photo essay on Time.com, who wrote, “A spectacular volume of photographs by Kristen Ashburn traces the lives of eight orphans featured in a Madonna-produced documentary about a nation caught in the web of the global AIDS crisis.”
David Burnett won a first place award from the White House News Photographers Association in their Sports Action category for his photograph of Korea and Cuba competing in baseball at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. He also won second place in the Sports Picture Story category for his unique approach to photographing the Games. In Burnett’s words, his images take “a look back from the excitement of the Olympic Games,” and let, “the viewer see the context of the venues, not merely close-ups of the athletes.”
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| Korea vs. Cuba at the 2009 Olympics. |
2009 © David Burnett |
President Obama honored all of the first place award winners personally with a ceremony at the White House. Every year the first place winners of each category in the White House News Photographers Association’s annual contest are invited to the Oval office to be received by the President.
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| President Obama and David Burnett in the Oval Office |
2009 © Jon Elswick |
The work of two Contact photographers was recognized at this year’s 66th annual Pictures of the Year International awards, organized by the Missouri School of Journalism.
Sean Hemmerle was awarded 1st place in the Magazine Feature Picture Story category for his story “Rust Belt.”
“Left to rot, the cathedrals of Industrialism, and the American Century dot the landscape from Pennsylvania to Illinois,” writes Hemmerle. “Gone are the days of Carnegie and Ford and American exceptionalism. An examination of the landscape of American hyper-productivity and past glory contained within an oxidized palette.”
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| Detroit, Michigan, March 19, 2008 |
2009 © Sean Hemmerle |
Contact’s co-founder, David Burnett, received an award of excellence in the Presidential General Election category for his image of Barack Obama backstage at the Roanoke Civic Center in the final days of the campaign. He also placed third in one of the competition’s most prestigious categories: Magazine Photographer of the Year.
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| Roanoke, Virginia, October 17, 2008 |
2009 © David Burnett |
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| Maison Européenne de la photographie, Paris |
©Tim Mapp |
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Giorgia Fiorio’s long term project on human spirituality titled The Gift was completed at the end of 2008. It is now being presented as both an exhibition and a book. The exhibition premiered February 2009 at the Maison Européenne de la photographie in Paris, France. A larger exhibition opened at the end of February in Rome, Italy at the Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica. An interview with Fiorio about the exhibition on Italian television, RAI UNO can be viewed here. Both exhibitions run concurrently until April 2009.
The accompanying book is currently available in Italian and French editions. The Italian edition Il Dono, is published by Peliti Associati, the French edition Le Don, is published by Actes Sud.
Click on cover below to purchase. |
| Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, Rome |
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| Il Dono (Peliti Associati, Italy, February 2009) |
Le Don (Actes Sud, France, February 2009) |
