Photographer captures children's spirits
By T. Esperas
Sebastiao Salgado speaks to the world through a camera lens. Salgado, an international photography superstar, is the featured artist in an exhibition at the de Saisset Museum.
"Globalization's Children: Photograph's by Sebastiao Salgado" is comprised of approximately 30 black and white photographs of children from across the globe. The exhibition, which is partially funded by Santa Clara's Institute on Globalization, provides a visceral and humanistic assessment of globalization's impact.
The images originate from Salgado's world renowned series "Migrations," "An Uncertain Grace, " Workers," and "Other Americas," which give viewers a convenient overview of his lifelong travels and photojournalist adventures.
"I shoot globally and I want to show globally: each of my stories is about globalization and economic liberalization: a sample of the human condition on the planet today," said Salgado in an interview in March of 2000. The children photographed in the exhibition represent countries from different corners of the world from Angola to Brazil, Rwanda to Bosnia.
It is no hard task to figure out why Salgado was a perfect choice for the winter quarter museum exhibit. "This interest in activism parallels Santa Clara's emphasis on ethics and social justice," said Rebecca M. Schapp, the director of de Saisset Museum.
Salgado, a native of Brazil, twice received Photographer of the Year awards from the International Center for Photography. He is founder of Amazonas Images, a press agency that represents him and his work. Born in 1944, Salgado became widely recognized in the U.S. for his images of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan.
However, it is his humanistic approach to photography and embodiment of a global citizen that set him apart from the field. Represented in the portrait-like distance Salgado has taken some photographs within, the artist demonstrates his ability to establish sensitivity and respect with his subjects.
In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 1991, Salgado said, "It's not the photographer who takes the pictures; it 's the persons in front of the camera who give the photos to you."
His background as economist, which consists of a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Paris, contributes to his keen understanding of globalization. "The price of sophisticated, industrial materials is growing each year. So the largest part of the population is working to transfer money to the rest of the world; the Third World finances the rich countries," Salgado said the same interview.
As a photographer who has documented life in underdeveloped countries, he has come face to face with starvation and poverty. Yet as an artist, he believes that the subjects of his photographs convey their dignity as human beings as well as their will to stay alive.
Furthermore, Salgado believes that there "will be a time when all humanity will be concerned with the whole of humanity ... that will be when we discover that compassion is the most important of human qualities."
In addition to the Salgado exhibition, which begins Jan. 18 and runs through Mar. 14, there are separate photography shows taking place in Orradre Library's Boland Reading Room from Nov. 25, 2002 to Mar. 20, 2003, the Art and Art History Building Gallery from Jan 6 to 31, 2003, and Benson Center.