The Arts in NYC Fall 2012

After visiting Greg Broom last week, I developed a greater appreciation for photography. I didn’t realize how much effort went into shooting a photo. This experience sparked my interest in visiting the International Center of Photography for the very first time. I have been to a few museums throughout my life, but never one dedicated to just photography.

I really enjoyed walking through this museum because it is something so different than what I am normally used to. The exhibit on display was called the “Rise and Fall of Apartheid.” All the photos told the stories of the people living in South Africa from 1948 to about 2000. Most the photos were in black and white and they depicted regular events as well as events that reflect the struggle, political violence, segregation and chaos of the black South Africans. The photographs were not posed. They captured reality. It is so cool to be able to walk through a museum and learn SO much about history by just looking at photographs. Each photo tells an incredible story. There is a huge aesthetic power of documenting incidents visually.

Covering a whole wall was a photo with protestors holding signs that read “We Stand by Our Leaders” I later learned that these people were supporting their leaders in the defiance campaign after the government put them on trial for treason.

The photos also captured the elite. In “Black Sash” rich white women used their status to challenged the regime while bearing witness to all the injustices occurring. They held signs that read “We Protect Against the Depravation of Basic Human Rights.”

One of the most powerful photographs I saw was one of a male black adult running, holding a young teen who had just been shot, in his arms. By looking at this photo I felt that I was really living and seeing the violence. The image helped me understand the severity of the police brutality that went on.

Unfortunately the security guard told me I wasn’t able to take any pictures, so I don’t have any to post on here. Regardless, I enjoyed my museum visit, I learned a lot about South African history and I saw how powerful the photographic art form can really be!

-Eleni Efstathiadis