Angkor Photo Festival 2012 Preview: Social Documentary Photography

With only a few days to go before the 8^th Angkor Photo Festival kicks off, we’ll be showing a preview of work by Asian photographers in the festival’s 2012 programme twice a week.

Abhijit Nandi India

Children of India
abhijitnandi-photos.photoshelter.com
India has one of the world’s highest rates of child labour, street kids and illiterates. Despite a law guaranteeing free education to all children, many cannot take advantage of this right because they have to earn money in order to survive. This series gives a voice to the ones often unheard and forgotten and shines light on their everyday hardship.

Abir Abdullah / EPA BANGLADESH

Death Traps in Dhaka
www.abirphoto.com
Fire is an ever present death threat in Dhaka city. In his work, he captures loss and tragedy when people’s livelihoods are wrapped in flames and lost within minutes. From homes and workplaces to shopping malls and public spaces, a lack of building codes, fire protection and proper rescue equipment have created a situation where residents are living in a continual death trap.

Ahn Sehong South Korea

Comfort Women – China
ahnsehong.com  juju-project.net
Ahn Sehong’s journey is a balancing act, exploring the boundaries between the object “Comfort Women” and the human being. He describes it as seeking the truth, but, pursues to incorporate the inner truth, not the “seeing” truth into the photograph. While visiting them many times over the years and staying with them, he captured the moments of their daily life’s and was thrown into their world and into their expressions of joy and sorrow himself.

Andri Tambunan USA-Indonesia

www.andritambunan.com
Against All Odds: HIV/AIDS epidemic among indigenous Papuans in Indonesia
Winner of the inaugural Reminders Project Asian Photographers Grant, Andri’s project is an in-depth investigation of an epidemic that needs immediate attention.

Arindam Mukherjee / Lightmediation India

The dark side of the boom
www.arindam-mukherjee.com
Arindam Mukherjee shines a light on the paradox situation of the miners working in the third largest coal producing nation. Despite being key men for modernisation, they have accepted this condition as their struggle for existence and, maybe, as their fate. As life goes on – both underground as well as above it – the lives of the coal miners gradually fade into oblivion.

Athit Perawongmetha Thailand

Floods
www.kanoknanphoto.com
Athit’s documented two months of epic flooding in Thailand in 2011. The floods affected all aspects of life for nearly two months, putting the country’s population and economy in a state of emergency.

Gazi Nafis Ahmed / VII Mentor Program Bangladesh

MADE IN BANGLADESH
www.gazinafis.com
Bangladesh is a major garment exporter to the USA and EU. Yet, a large part of the four million, predominantly female, workforce remains the world’s cheapest labour-pool, braving unsafe working conditions to make a meagre livelihood.

Hyungrak Choi South Korea

North Korea’s Attack on Yeonpyeong Island
www.choihyungrak.com
In November 2010, North Korea fired around 170 shells at Yeonpyeong Island, making this one of the most serious incidents since the Korean War ended in 1953. This work is a record of residents leaving their island on boats, while witnessing shells falling onto their houses and ultimately losing their peaceful memories connected to home.

Lam Duc Hien / Médecins du Monde

WOMEN, THE AFTERMATH OF VIOLENCE
lamduchien.com
A project spanning across seven countries, examining the multiplicity of violence against women and its possible solutions. “My work is a testimonial, words said despite the silence, words in images to sew what has been torn apart.”

Linus Escandor / The Manila Bulletin Philippines

Fighting For Their Homes
Activist groups for the poor in Manila protested the eviction of its people and claimed violation of human rights by the Philippines government during demolition of illegal settlers. The demolition process followed a long, grueling and controversial negotiation process. During the demolition, violence between residents and government law enforcement groups sparked up frequently. Innocent children were the most vulnerable and most gravely affected during the altercations.

Misha Domozhilov Russia

I am Russian 
domozhilov.com
Nationalist views are widespread in modern Russia. Citizens are classified into two groups, the Russians, and the Slavic nationalities. “I am Russian” is an inscription on T-Shirts popular with young nationalists, who are very active participants in opposition street riots.

Panjar Prashant India

Part of GROUP EXHIBITION: Greenpeace International: Energy [r]evolution
Renewable Energy in China, Thailand and India
The impact of climate change is now relatively well-known – but, what is even more crucial than the problems are the solutions to them. This exhibition explores projects in China, Thailand and India which are joining in the green energy revolution.

Srikanth Kolari / Redux Pictures India

NORTH EAST OF INDIA – THE FORGOTTEN REGION
www.skolari.photoshelter.com
India’s Northeast, also known as the land of the 7 sisters, comprises 7 states and is known for its ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and physiographical diversity. The North East Region is a place where different ethnicities meet and mingle. People in these states feel heavily neglected by their Central Government when they witness the progress and development in other states of India. The North East Region is still what it was a few decades ago – a stagnant pool.

Veejay Villafranca / Asia Motion Philippines

Displaced Earth
www.veejayvillafranca.com   vphotoblog.tumblr.com
The project Displaced Earth aims to illustrate different scenarios caused by the rapid changes in weather patterns. The photographic project focuses on communities displaced due to the danger posed by massive flooding. In 2010, at least a million Filipinos were turned into refugees due to the impact caused by extreme weather. The nation’s fast-growing population, chaotic urban planning and corruption are all adding to the problem.

More information about Angkor Photo Festival on their website: http://www.angkor-photo.com/