Last night’s opening at the Dupont Underground of the World Press Photo Competition Exhibition 2019 proved to be an astounding collection of the year’s best photos in both journalism and documentary photography. Having missed previous year’s shows, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but my anticipation was high and I was not disappointed in the slightest. My friend Joe Newman of Focus on the Story, a Washington DC based non-profit for the advancement of storytelling in photography, suggested that I go, as my background is in documentary photography, and he just knew that I would love the work. He wasn’t wrong. Besides, it was a good excuse to take my wife out for an evening of worthwhile activities, which is never bad.
As we walked down into the mostly unmarked, dimly-lit subterranean cavern, we were greeted by the friendliest of people at every turn. The space is huge and having arrived early, we were asked to wait at the entrance until the organizers set all the last little bits of the show into motion. This was the hardest part, as I was standing, looking at a distance at the most compelling work, but couldn’t get close enough to read the descriptions or inspect the amazing photographs on the wall. As is the case with these sorts of events however, the wine bar came to the rescue! Once I had absorbed some of my tasty pinot, we were allowed in to the vast curved hall to begin the most important work of taking in the imagery and imagining the situations surrounding the events in the photographs.
Walking through the exhibition, agonizing over every detail (because that’s what you want to do with this type of work) I found the layout extremely compelling and the work was organized in a very interesting and dynamic fashion. There were three different types of presentation which kept the viewer engaged and allowed for shifting methods of perceptual intake. The first style was the very traditional way of wall hanging that we all know from most gallery shows, though the work was organized into more of a salon style presentation than piece by consecutive piece which seems the norm for most shows.
An attendee is rapt with the compelling images on display at the World Press Photo show at the Dupont Underground.
The second style was a more intimate presentation on table tops with descriptions and gooseneck lighting that lit each piece for the viewer to observe alone. All of these images were winners from the past years, so the presentation gives the sense of inspecting an historical documents. I found this to be very effective, especially from a story telling about the past point of view.
Past World Press Photo winners were placed in a more intimate fashion on table tops for the viewer to observe.
The third style was executed with video projection and description boards containing keys to the slideshows going by on the wall. This method was the most in your face and created an intense sense of forced connection with the work that I found extremely useful in conveying a feeling of urgency and purpose to the imagery.
Boards were on display with descriptions of the slide shows being projected on the walls.
Viewers were able to watch huge projections of photographs on the walls.
The pace and timing of the exhibit was excellent and By the time I read the majority of the main wall of printed work, the presentation was about to begin and we were ushered in to the seating area to listen to the speakers convey their experiences regarding their work.
Once seated, I found no end of opportunity to photograph the attendees but I refrained, for the most part…
John Moore discusses the “America, Love it or Leave it” shirt the small boy is wearing in the photo.
John Moore discusses the events surrounding the making of his photo that won the World Press Photo of the Year, 2019 award.
Jasper Doest discusses his work with Bob the flamingo in Curacao.
Though there were a few technical glitches, the overall presentation went off without a hitch and was interesting and well presented.
Everyone in attendance seemed to absolutely love the show. Constant murmurs of awe and excitement flowed through the hall and everywhere were people in connective meditation with the work that they were surveying. Familiar faces were all around, including Focus on the Story’s very own Chantal Wong and Mike Jett.
Focus on the Story’s very own Mike Jett fell victim to my lens.
Once we were up and walking again, I surveyed the remainder of the show and wandered slowly out the door, wishing all a good night on the way. In the end, my overall experience was fantastic and the work was second to none. I was glad to see people I knew and also to get some shots of people and of the festivities.
DC Focused’s Mike Landsman hanging out with the only thing missing being the Ascot he left at home.
Having now attended this year’s show, I am reminded of my years in grad school studying documentary photography. At the time there was still a stigma attached to the photographic image. It always drove me mad that people didn’t want to elevate photography to a high art form and that there was frequently the discussion of “fine art” and “photography” as separate entities. I think over the years, we have moved far away from that ignorance and it’s wonderful to attend art gallery shows now that include vast amounts of photography being appreciated for what it is, an art form.
For sure, I will attend the WPP exhibition next year as this year was just fantastic. I can’t wait to see what the year will bring in our amazing art form!