I had a day in Amsterdam, I went to the World Press Photo exhibition at the Nieuwekerk for the first time in about five years!
It’s always a somber experience, the images document the most newsworthy events from the year’s news, and the news is rarely good. This year was no exception, the winner was an image from the war in Ukraine of a very pregnant woman being moved on a stretcher.
Iryna Kalinina (32), an injured pregnant woman, is carried from a maternity hospital that was damaged during a Russian air strike in Mariupol, Ukraine. Her baby, named Miron (after the word for ‘peace’) was still born, and half an hour later Iryna died as well.
The contrast between the beautiful arches of the Nieuwekerk and the grim scene of the photo made it even more dramatic. It’s the largest image in the collection and it completely stops you as you enter the exhibition. Everyone who came in stopped, I’m sure we were all wishing better for Iryna and Miron, and hoping for peace in Ukraine soon.
The competition is run on a regional basis, and the exhibition reflects this grouping the images by region and colour-coding each section. You can see more of the entries for each region on the World Press site.
Before you got to this year’s photos there was a selection of winning images from previous years. Including this one, which might be the first image that really hooked me as photojournalism (at least of my lifetime).
Known as “Tank Man” it was taken as Chinese tanks rolled into TianAnMen Square on the 5 June 1989 during the student uprising. It was taken by Jeff Widener. The fate of the Tank Man is still not know. I later lived in Beijing, but by then there was no sign of the protests, and they were rarely mentioned.
Just as I was thinking of the bravery of the journalists I came across a memorial to all the photo journalists who have died doing their job, it’s a frighteningly long list.
After about wandering around the images I left the church into brilliant sunshine, the burble of Amsterdammers going about their day, and tourists posing for the perfect instagram shot against the background of the Palace.
The exhibition is on in Amsterdam at the Nieuwe Kerk until the 30 July, it’s free with a museum card, and 15.50 euro without.
Not in Amsterdam? The World Press will have similar exhibitions across the world, from Auckland to Zutphen, throughout the year.
I am not a tourist 