Spanish photojournalist Emilio Morenatti spent six months in Ukraine on a series of assignments. He describes a vivid metaphor: the country is geometrically divided by the invading force, and the people are repeatedly interrupted by the violence of war. Morenatti speaks from a camera owner’s perspective, using his own experience as a war-wounded amputee to connect with those affected. He lost a leg years ago, and he has found that sharing his own journey helps him offer psychological support to others enduring trauma. The images tell a human story: a woman burying her leg beside her 14-year-old son who was killed in a house garden attack. Morenatti’s work from Ukraine earned a commendation in a World Press Photo 2023 competition (Europe), a recognition that places him alongside the resilience of the Ukrainian people. His documentary efforts also cover the harsh realities such as the death of Iryna Kalinina, who died after giving birth to a stillborn son named Miron, a name that echoes a wish for peace. The Ukraine focus sits among broader global concerns like Afghanistan under Taliban control, protests affecting women in various nations, climate impacts, migrations, and persistent social inequalities. The collection, part of the World Press Photo 2023 winning works, is on display until December 17 at the Center for Contemporary Culture of Barcelona (CCCB).
The exhibition presents the acclaimed field of photojournalism and documentary photography with Morenatti and Caesar Dezfuli, a Madrid-born photographer born in 1991. Dezfuli is noted as the sole Spaniard to achieve a global award in the Open Format category, a distinction earned through the project Passengers. Initiated in 2016 and ongoing, Passengers documents the complex reality of modern migration and follows the lives of those who were rescued at sea, capturing intimate moments that reveal the human side of a risk-filled journey.
The traveling exhibition, which will visit ninety cities, reaches the Catalan capital for the nineteenth consecutive year. It is organized by the Photographic Social Vision Foundation. The showcase features 119 images, including 24 regional winners and 4 global winners, drawn from 23 countries, among a pool of 3,752 photographers and 60,448 submitted photos. The event emphasizes the breadth of contemporary storytelling in image form and its capacity to illuminate both local and global stories in a single frame.
Take care of victims
Morena tti continues to emphasize his involvement in the narratives he documents. He explains that his objective is to be useful by sharing common experiences and offering something meaningful to people with amputations whose stories intersect with Ukrainian history. He recalls an 11-year-old girl who lost both legs and notes how, even amid conflict, small acts of recovery matter. He has observed how assistance from partners in the United States, including support for prosthetics, can help a survivor regain mobility and dignity. The journalist reflects on how witnessing hope in others can help him cope with the ongoing war in Ukraine, underscoring the healing potential that comes from telling these stories with empathy and restraint.
Organ trafficking and hunger in Afghanistan
A powerful report awarded in the Graphic Report of the Year category presents the stark scenes from Kabul, where women in burqas beg for bread. The narrative follows Khalil Ahmed, a 15-year-old boy who bears a visible scar and reveals that his family sold one of his kidneys on the organ black market for a small sum. The piece sheds light on the human costs behind the global organ trade, highlighting ethical concerns and the vulnerabilities faced by families in crisis. The broader program recognizes significant projects including Anush Babajanyan’s Long-Term work Battered Waters, and the Open Format Here, which details water scarcity amplified by climate change across Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. It also includes The Doors Don’t Know Me by Mohamed Mahdy, a piece about rising sea levels affecting Al Max, a fishing village in Alexandria, Egypt. The collection of 2022 exhibitions drew tens of thousands of visitors and was co-produced by CCCB with the Banco Sabadell Foundation. The event has faced political controversy in some regions, including concerns raised by advocates for LGBTQ+ communities, and marks one of the era’s most contested reflections on censorship in Europe.