Doctors of the World presents a humanitarian photography exhibition that bears witness to human violations

Inauguration of the exhibition of the 26th edition of the Luis Valtueña Prize for Humanitarian Photography

Doctors of the World presents in New York a humanitarian photography exhibition that bears witness to human rights violations and exposes injustice in the world

• The 26th edition of the Luis Valtueña Prize for Humanitarian Photography arrives in New York. An exhibition that, with its more than 25 years of history making visible conflicts and forgotten humanitarian emergencies, can be visited at the Cervantes Institute until next November 30.
• Photography is a fundamental tool to raise awareness and bear witness to human rights violations, from Ukraine or Armenia to Central America or Spain. That is the challenge that the Doctors of the World organization sets for itself every year with its Luis Valtueña International Humanitarian Photography Award.

New York, October 6, 2023 – New York proposes us to think through art. The city hosts the latest photographic exhibition of the Luis Valtueña International Humanitarian Photography Award, an exhibition organized by Doctors of the World, which seeks to denounce unjust situations and make forgotten crises visible with the power of photography.

This fall, the Prize travels to the United States for the first time in collaboration with the Cervantes Institute of New York, to present the exhibition of its 26th edition, corresponding to the 2022 call, which is on display from today until November 30 at the Cervantes Institute gallery. The exhibition presents a total of 41 photographs, divided into four series of the winner and 3 finalists, in addition to an image of the special mention by the jury.

Every year the Luis Valtueña International Luis Valtueña International Award travels to more than 12 cities in Spain and others abroad such as Rosario in Argentina, Lisbon in Portugal or Dakar in Senegal, accompanied by educational activities to promote a process of social transformation.

“The Luis Valtueña humanitarian photo exhibition is an opportunity to expose the human suffering we see in the places where we work, which is too often forgotten because the media has moved on” explains Fraser Mooney, spokesperson for Doctors of the World United States.

In the exhibition you can enjoy the beauty and depth of the work of María Clauss, the first woman to be chosen as the winner of the contest with her series Donde no habite el olvido, a work that makes visible the historical memory of those who suffered the reprisals of the Spanish Civil War.

Furthermore, in the diversity of the exhibition you can also see the works of the finalists: Santi Palacios, Nazik Armenakyan and Federico Ríos, and Sáshenka Gutiérrez who obtained a special mention. They all reflect the various trends in current photojournalism, such as the crimes perpetrated in the Bucha massacre, the journey of people crossing the Darien Gap, the stigmatization of women who contract HIV in Armenia or the story of a survivor of a breast cancer.

Richard Bueno Hudson, director of the Cervantes Institute in New York, values photography as a fundamental tool to raise awareness and witness injustices. The Cervantes Institute thus aligns itself with the founding principles of Médicos del Mundo and recognizes the work of professionals who work to achieve compliance with the fundamental right to health and the enjoyment of a dignified life for any person.

The Award

There are 26 years of humanitarian photography in which Doctors of the World has given firm support to the authors, generating spaces to make visible the most outstanding issues in the field of fundamental rights. This prestigious and historic award has its own hallmark to promote humanitarian photography as an instrument to witness violations of human rights and denounce injustices anywhere in the world.

In this quarter of a century, thousands of photographers, amateurs and professionals from all over the world, have participated in the contest. Each person has contributed to shedding light on stories that deserved to be told, with photographs that inform us and shake our conscience, while moving us and inviting us to take action.

The Luis Valtueña Award is also a tribute to the murdered aid workers who assist the civilian population in armed conflicts. “The blacklist currently amounts to more than 6,000. Our fallen colleagues, Luis Valtueña, aid worker and photographer, Mercedes Navarro, Manuel Madrazo and Flors Sirera, are the DNA of this contest that remembers the work of many Doctors of the World aid workers. in many places on the planet where we work in conflict zones. These sites coincide with photojournalists who continue to portray the stories so that they are not condemned to oblivion” explains José Félix Hoyo, vice president of Médicos del Mundo Spain.

Doctors of the World

Doctors of the World is an independent association that works to make the right to health effective for all people, especially for vulnerable populations, excluded or victims of natural disasters, famines, diseases, armed conflicts or political violence. Its projects are carried out by volunteers and professionals who are part of the organization. Their main mission is to work to achieve compliance with the fundamental right to health and the enjoyment of a dignified life for any person.

PRESS INFORMATION
Spokespersons for the organization and participating photographers available for interviews.
More information: www.premioluisvaltuena.org

DOCTORS OF THE WORLD USA
Assetou Gaudissard
[email protected]
T: +1 347 820 4709

MÉDICOS DEL MUNDO
Nora Mora, Responsable del Premio Luis Valtueña
[email protected]
T: +34 629 214 755

INSTITUTO CERVANTES
Irene San Segundo, Comunicación Instituto
[email protected]
T: +1 212 308 7720