01 / 05

HCB Award Exhibition: Jim Goldberg

"Open See" is part of a vast project of Jim Goldberg, The New Europeans, documenting the exodus of refugees, immigrants and victims of human trafficking that came to Europe to rebuild their lives.

In 2003 he was commissioned by Magnum to start the project Periplus at the Athens Olympics.  Goldberg chose to shoot in Greece - the cradle of Europe-populations of immigrants, their plight and their wandering. The number of immigrants in Greece is estimated at between 1.5 and 2 million people, most of whom live in hiding, without papers, without rights. (In 2007, Greece had agreed that 140 of 20,692 asylum applications filed.) To escape the crisis in their country of origin and have a better life, they are willing to risk their lives, piled on fragile boats, threatened by smugglers and border guards, often deprived of food and water.

Since 2003, Goldberg has produced photographs, film and polaroids annotated by the players in these stories to comment on their journey, he also collected manuscripts, notes, ephemera and objects gathered stories. These individuals are victims of crises in Europe and the world: economic refugees from areas of poverty, forced laborers, sex slaves kidnapped or duped by the mirage economy. Many have left communities devastated by AIDS or totalitarian regimes in the hope of greater security and prosperity in Europe.

In 2007, the HCB Award was awarded to Goldberg. This scholarship allows him to pursue his interest in the project countries of origin of migrants, their living conditions at the time of departure and reasons for escape: the collapse of the Soviet Union and sexual slavery Ukraine, the intercommunal violence in India, political turmoil in Bangladesh, the civil war in Liberia, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, poverty in Senegal and Mauritania. More generally, Open See focuses on the issues related to globalization and raises issues of racism, integration and cultural persecution. Despite the painful reality that these individuals face, their stories are full of hope and heroism.

The exhibition features over two floors, the stories of these migrants through portraits, polaroids, videos and notes listed on the pictures to show their lives and their journey to a better future. "My work documents the complex ways that people struggle to affirm their dignity and integrity when social circumstances, time or situation work against them." Goldberg works actively with the subjects of these photographs and asked them to leave a message, a drawing, a souvenir of their past life or future. The scenery, designed by the artist will present a hundred photographs, alternating polaroids, collages and large format. These images are a testament to human will, the energy that can realize the dreams of freedom, regardless of nationality, religion or social class.