ALAIN SCHROEDER

“Taekwando, Pyongyang, North Korea. In 2018, in honor of the 70th anniversary of the creation of North Korea on September 9, 1948, the Mass Games, also known as the Arirang Festival, were held at the May Day stadium in Pyongyang. In addition to the 100,000 participants on the field, 17,000 students seated in the grandstand executed a series of images using a card stunt technique with military precision, simultaneously unfolding colored panels to form sweeping grand images. Behind the Taekwondo athletes performing on the field, the image represents a characteristic move of Korea’s national sport; Ap Joomuk Kaunde Jirugi, a fore fist, middle section punch.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) remains one of the most isolated and secretive nations in the world. Since its creation in 1948, the country has been ruled by three generations of the Kim dynasty descending from the country’s founder Kim Il-Sung, followed by his son, Kim Jong-Il and currently under the control of his grandson, Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-Un. It is a self-reliant socialist society based on an extreme interpretation of the cult of personality and devotion to the current and former leaders, fueled by a large dose of propaganda. While North Korea is generally off limits to foreign media, the opening ceremony of the Mass Games, attended by Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-Un, was accessible to the press and tourists alike. Virtually the entire society was called to service and focused on the sole objective of showing the world the caliber, merit, and talent of North Korea in both cultural and military domains.

It is in this highly controlled, context that this story took place. Visitors were shown a confined area of Pyongyang; one of modern high risers in recently constructed districts of the city. Visits to the city’s national monuments were a required portion of the pre-determined itinerary. I was chaperoned and surveilled by two official government guides at all times – standard practice for foreign visitors. You are told what to do, what to look at or not, and what to photograph. Shots of people working, carrying goods or not well-dressed are forbidden, pushing photographers to show only an idealized vision of the city. The environment is totally controlled and there is no choice but to follow the rules.

So, remember when you look at the images, as Magritte, the Belgian surrealist painter might say: This is not North Korea.”

STEFAN KLEINOWITZ

“Photographed for a series of six black and white portraits for the AICS – Italienne Pour La Cooperation Au Developpement. Participants could either be sitting in their room or outside their home, or they are posing in their village. They could also sit on a motorbike, or on a horse etc. Maybe they are dressed up in a certain way, such as a singer, lawyer, doctor, actor etc.; depending on the time the photographer has with the participant and if certain objects (flowers, a disco-ball, a book, a flight-ticket etc.) to link to their dream.

Angélique (24, in the Pikine district of Dakar) says: ‘”Having had my first daughter at the age of fifteen, it was clear to me that I wanted to be an independent woman so that I could take care of my two daughters and give them an example of a strong and determined woman who is not destined to just be a housewife cleaning and taking care of the home.””

XAMARA MAISONET

“Like many photographers, when I choose to produce an image in black & white, sometimes it’s to focus on the composition because the color does not have anything particular to add, and other times it’s to isolate shapes and forms. But also an image without color can tell a different story, and sometimes I like the secrets that I can keep by removing color from an image. This image, “Beautiful Sunset and the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station” was taken from Brennan Beach at the shores of Lake Ontario while having a picnic evening date with my husband. It was a beautiful evening with an amazing colorful sunset, the sky was filled with different tones of oranges, yellows, and magenta. This image does not represent what I just described, it became my secret when I decided that I wanted the image in B&W. I love the power of interpretation just by seeing the image, the texture of the water, the contrast of the light sky and the dark waters, and then the nuclear plant. I love the juxtaposition of the result of the B&W image and the reality that I had while taking the picture.”

BERTRAND FOMPEYRINE

“I took this image in Costa Rica while traveling with a friend for Christmas time. We were supposed to visit a very beautiful natural park on this day, but it was unfortunately closed and we had to go back home. On our way, we passed by a lot of restaurants and shops, but everything was closed and empty. I saw a plastic bench, a plastic fabric and some shadows, and I had to take a picture of it. The light, the ambiance, the composition, everything was perfect. It caught my eye because it looked very theatrical, soft and sad at the same time, but I finally just found the scene very beautiful. All my photography work is related to surprise and encounter, and this image is exactly what I love in photography, not expecting anything and yet finding something special. I am maybe the only one to be moved by this place, but I am sure it touched something in me, and I will always remember this moment.”

ANNE NOBELS

“I keep returning to this image. It’s a slightly older one, taken in December 2017, a little over a year after graduating from the art academy. Despite hoping that I’ve grown since then, this is one of those images that doesn’t need improvement; I’m still very fond of it.

The water reflecting the white sky accentuates the graphic lines of the potato hills. The man shoveling creates a horizontal line that adds extra interest. When I stumbled upon this scene, I felt incredibly lucky; everything came together so beautifully. This image is part of a series called “Maximum Capacity Exceeded,” where I explored finding stillness in the chaotic world we live in. The fog really helped capture the right mood. I shot everything in black and white for this series, except for one image, which adds a certain timelessness. Particularly for this image, with the farmer on the left, he was wearing a very bright blue jacket, which made him look very modern. Black and white provides an extra focus, eliminating distracting colors and focusing solely on shapes and light and shadow.”