After four nights of screenings, this year I had my first photography exhibition as part of the prestigious International Photojournalism Festival Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan, France.
My first visit to Visa, as a spectator, was in 2010. It was the year I debuted as a photographer. I didn’t know anyone. I’ll never forget that from Monday to Thursday, I couldn’t manage to show my portfolio to a single editor. I was fascinated by the screenings and exhibitions but unsure how to approach editors.
On the morning of the last day, I decided to spend it at Hotel Pams. I sat on a bench, observing the hustle and bustle around me. At one point, I heard a voice asking if I was a photographer. I replied yes, and the voice continued: “Do you have something to show me?” If angels exist, I think that’s how they appear.
By the end of the meeting, Sherri explained everything I needed to do and nominated one of my stories for UNICEF at POY.
In 2011, I had my first night of screenings with images from Syria. I was the first and only Western photographer in Syria at that time.
In 2011, I shared with JF Leroy that I would work until I succeeded in having my own exhibition at Visa.
The screenings followed in 2012, 2014, and 2022.
In 2024, I kept my word and, with “The Voices Rise Behind the Wall,” I had my first exhibition at Visa pour l’Image.
On the festival walls, over the course of 36 years, the most influential photographers in the world have exhibited. Strong imagery is the common thread that connects them all. I wanted my first exhibition to offer something more, something unique.
Through my social work and human rights advocacy, I aimed to reaffirm the incomparable power of photojournalism to change the world. It’s not easy. In fact, the effort is doubled. When everyone else stops and rests, my social work begins. Through education, with words written on paper, with three cameras hanging around my neck, and with a lot of hard work, I managed to stop forced evictions, save hundreds of people, secure hundreds of thousands of euros and homes, and win the court ruling to demolish the segregation wall in Baia Mare.
Photography, coupled with compassion, can help create a better society.
Here, you can see the images I captured at Visa pour l’Image over the years.
