World Press Photo 2003
16 July 2003
The celebrated World Press Photo Exhibition, showcasing the world’s most exceptional press photography, is coming to Cape Town. Iziko Museums of Cape Town at the Castle of Good Hope hosts the exhibition, which runs from 17 July to 10 August.
This year, almost 55 000 images representing 4 000 photographers were
submitted by photojournalists, agencies, newspapers and magazines. Of these,
69% were in digitised format.
Winners in nine categories were selected by an independent international jury which included South African Herbert Mabuza, picture editor of the Sunday Times. The exhibition will travel to over 40 countries, and Capetonians are once again privileged to host it in the Mother City.
The exhibition is a tribute to the power of photography to transcend all cultural and linguistic frontiers.
Almost 200 winning photographs will be on show, reflecting the exceptional
standards that viewers have come to expect. Each
photograph captures, in an
instant, an event of 2002 that may well go down in history, be it for its
brutality, drama, quirkiness or glamour . Each photo is exhibited without censorship.
The photo selected as winner for 2002 is Eric Grigorian's poignant black and
white image of a group of Iranian mourners come to bury the victim of an
earthquake. The bereft young son squats beside the grave clinging to his
dead father's trousers.
Also represented among the winners is the haunting photo by South African Brent Stirton, "Xhosa Initiates", in the category "Portrait Stories".
The impetus for the event comes from the World Press Photo Foundation, an independent platform for international press photography, founded in 1955, whose activities include the World Press Photo of the Year Contest, the subsequent exhibition and famed yearbook.
The Foundation also promotes public interest in press photography and the free flow of information worldwide. To stimulate
development and discussion about aspects of photojournalism, the Foundation holds the annual Joop Swart Masterclass as well as seminars and debates in different countries.
The World Press Photo Foundation is sponsored in South Africa by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Southern Africa, the US Consulate General in Cape Town, Independent Newspapers and the Mount Nelson Hotel.
The exhibition can be viewed daily from to 9.30am to 4pm. To make inquiries, phone Lalou Meltzer on (021) 464-1263 or visit Iziko Museums of Cape Town.
Source: Iziko Museums of Cape Town
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