World Photography Awards 2020, LE FOTO dei vincitori del concorso fotografico

Pablo Albarenga dall’Uruguay vince il titolo di Photographer of the Year con una serie di scatti sul dramma della deforestazione. L’italiano Alessandro Gandolfi è primo classificato nella sezione Still Life. Ecco gli scatti premiati

Nantu is an indigenous young man from the Achuar Nation of Ecuador who leads a project of solar-powered river boats for collective transport. By installing solar panels on a specially designed boat’s roof, he is working to end Achuar’s dependence on petrol. Left: On his land, Nantu lies dressed with traditional Achuar clothing. Right: the pristine rainforest from the Achuar territory. Sharamentsa, Pastaza, Ecuador. Photo-composition: Pablo Albarenga

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Uomo Vs natura: è il drammatico racconto testimoniato dal fotografo Pablo Albarenga nella serie di scatti intitolata “Seeds of Resistance”, vincitrice assoluta del concorso fotografico, giunto alla 13esima edizione © Pablo Albarenga, Uruguay, Photographer of the Year, Sony World Photography Awards 2020

World Photography Awards 2020, gli italiani finalisti

Drica (29) lives in Tapagem, a Quilombo up the Trombetas River, in the Brazilian Amazon. The territories known as Quilombos are home to descendants of escaped African slaves. Those who managed to escape, traveled deep inside the rainforest for protection. They have been established there since the 19th century. Drica is the first woman to have been elected as Quilombola Territory Coordinator and she represents the five communities living there. The first challenge these Quilombos face is loggers eager to strike deals with the community. A second challenge is a Bauxite mine down the river: it has been building dams taking no safety measures whatsoever which are putting the entire Trombetas River at risk. But for Drica, the greatest challenge of all is a huge hydroelectric dam project which will probably be green-lighted by the government and which will not only destroy the river environment but also displace the communities from their homeland. Right: Drica portrayed lying in her ancestral land. Left: Aerial view of the Rio Norte Bauxite Mine next to the Quilombola territory, on the Trombetas River. Pará, Brazil. Photo-composition: Pablo Albarenga.

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Pablo Albarenga vince anche nella categoria “Creativa”. Il Photographer of the Year si dice felice “dell'opportunità di raccontare storie delle comunità tradizionali dell'Amazzonia mettendo in evidenza le persone che stanno combattendo non solo per il loro futuro, ma per tutti” © Pablo Albarenga, Uruguay, Photographer of the Year, Sony World Photography Awards 2020

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Dione Roach dall'Italia è seconda nella categoria Creativa con una raccolta di schermate tratte da post online, chat, chiamate Skype e WhatsApp, volte ad indagare la produzione e il consumo delle immagini © Dione Roach, Italy, Finalist, Professional, Creative, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Winters in Manitoba, Canada, are long and often bitterly cold. When the temperature drops, and thick ice forms, lakes and rivers in the province play host to some amazing folk architecture in the form of ice fishing huts. These huts, shacks or permies (as they are called in Manitoba) must be transportable, protect their occupants from the elements and allow access to the ice below for fishing. Once these requirements have been met, the owners are free to express their personalities in the shape, structure and decoration of their huts - they are large or small, decorated or plain, luxurious or utilitarian and everything in between. I captured these images on Lake Winnipeg in December 2019. My hope for this series, which is a continuation of work I started in 2018, is to showcase the quirky charm of these huts by presenting a select few in a typology. The typology - showing the huts framed in the same, minimalist style and in the same lighting - allows the viewer to notice similarities in function and uniqueness in form, as well as to display these utilitarian structures as beautiful works of art.

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La canadese Sandra Herber con “Ice Fishing Huts, Lake Winnipeg” vince nella categoria Architettura. I vincitori del concorso Professional sono stati selezionati da una giuria di esperti sulla base di un corpus di lavori composto da 5-10 immagini dedicate a soggetti e temi diversi © Sandra Herber, Canada, Category Winner, Professional, Architecture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

As a graphic designer, I’m drawn to bold colours and shapes. Formalism I is the result of three years walking the streets and searching for beauty in places that most people pass by. I tend to take a record shot when I spot something interesting, and then return repeatedly until I get what I need. Form is the main theme for this series, but colour is really important too. Most of the pictures were taken in Argentina, except one that was made in Uruguay.

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Linee pulite e colori per la serie di foto, quasi tutte scattate in Argentina e Uruguay, di José De Rocco (Argentina), terzo classificato per la categoria Architettura © José De Rocco, Argentina, 3rd Place, Professional, Architecture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

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It has been four years since I voluntarily isolated myself in a cosy cave of maternity, living in a country house in Leningrad Oblast. I deliberately restrict social contact and limit media consumption - my whole life is bound up in my home, children and art practice. Against all expectations, however, my life is far from calm and quiet.

 

The notion of the cave has become, for me, the quintessence of what a personal experience is made up of. It has been linked to the Anima and the cult of the earth mother, the symbol of fertile soil that both gives life and takes it away. Francis Bacon, developing the idea of Plato, stated that the “Idols of the Cave” arise from education and custom – in short, the past of each individual determines how they perceive things.

For me, isolation in my own cave triggered a childhood trauma that had not been resolved emotionally - a stress disorder triggered by a series of four deaths and a suicide in the family over a very short period of time.

In this project, I am constructing my own personal cave by combining photographs I have made in my parent’s house with pictures of the place I am living in now. I pair these images with the experience of a physical presence in Sablinskiye Caves, near my home. In a cave your senses are deprived, encouraging hallucinations. Under similar conditions, my memory produces its own illusions.    

My work explores the idea that motherhood, and the awakening of primitive instincts such as unconditional love, aggression and fear of death, make life extremely meaningful. Despite its challenges, ‘in-cave’ living boosts creativity: it becomes a personal myth, provides a plot for the project and initiates reflective processes.

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La sezione Scoperta è vinta da Maria Kokunova (Federazione Russa) con la serie “The Cave”. Per l’edizione 2020 oltre 345 mila candidature da 203 paesi © Maria Kokunova, Russian Federation, Finalist, Professional, Discovery, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

The current U.S. sanctions against Iran, and the subsequent fall in the value of the rial (Iranian currency), are causing house prices in the country to skyrocket. As a result, many Tehraners have been forced to leave the capital and move to satellite towns where accommodation is more affordable. The Mehr Housing Project, initiated in 2007, was the largest state-funded housing project in the history of Iran. What followed was rapid growth in urban population and the construction of new towns. However, measures to ensure healthy living conditions for the inhabitants of these new towns was insufficient. Parand, Pardis and Hashtgerd, three newly-constructed towns on the margins of Tehran, suffered critical shortcomings. These are huge islands of soaring skyscrapers and indiscriminately developed apartments filled with crowds of people and cars. They begin, but seem to have no end. People from all over Iran are migrating to these new towns, which are becoming notorious for social pathologies like high rates of suicide among pupils and drug abuse. The residents of Parand talk about how the town’s population has doubled over the past six months, reaching 200,000. Yet the town can hardly provide educational, social and health care services for 10,000. Sleep-deprived newcomers leave early in the morning to reach their workplaces in the capital, often commuting for two to three hours a day. The relentless repetition of this cycle leads to alienation and frustration. To add to this, levels of unemployment are escalating. Here is the land of those cast out of their heaven: the metropolitan Tehran. And they all share the bitterness of the fall.

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Scoperta: al secondo posto gli scatti di Hashem Shakeri (Repubblica Islamica dell’Iran), che mostra un momento della vita a Teheran e dintorni © Hashem Shakeri, Iran, Finalist, Professional, Discovery, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Protests in Hong Kong show no signs of abating after months of unrest. What began as an objection to the extradition bill has evolved into a wider protest regarding the future of the city. Reports suggest that since the demonstrations began cases of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have risen among the population. “The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting”, suggested author Milan Kundera. Scars and bruises may fade, but we must remember what caused them.

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La serie “Wounds of Hong Kong” testimonia le recenti proteste a Hong Kong: gli scatti di Chung Ming Ko vincono nella categoria Documentaristica © Chung Ming Ko, Hong Kong, Finalist, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

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Having first appeared in the United States in the 1990s, reborn is a hyperrealistic doll that resembles a newborn baby. Reborn artists go to great lengths to ensure that their creations are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Many reborns have birthmarks, veins, hair, visible skin pores, and even saliva. Markets for these dolls range from reborn artists and collectors to hospitals and adoptive mothers and fathers. The realism of a reborn is such that some medical centres use them to ease the suffering of clients with Alzheimer’s disease.
What motivates a woman, or a couple, to “adopt” a reborn - the word “buy” is frowned upon in these circles - varies. For some, there is the attraction of caring for a baby that shares their physical features, as well as the joy of dressing it, taking it out in a pram, or even decorating a room for the new arrival. For others, a reborn is an antidote to loneliness, particularly in an age dominated by online communication. Reborns suffer from a bad reputation, with some suggesting they look like dead babies. For many, however, these dolls are sources of hope, wellbeing, and comfort. They may be fake babies, but the happiness, love and sense of sharing they provide is very real.

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Documentaristica: secondo posto per Didier Bizet dalla Francia che regala uno sguardo su “reborn”, le bambole iperrealistiche che ricordano un neonato © Didier Bizet, France, 2nd Place, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Natural Gas Flaring Site in Ughelli, Niger Delta, Nigeria.

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Robin Hinsch (Germania) con la serie “Wahala”, che indaga i problemi ambientali al Delta del Niger, vince nella categoria Ambiente © Robin Hinsch, Germany, Finalist, Professional, Environment, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

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Il futuro delle coltivazioni nelle foto di Luca Locatelli. L’italiano è il terzo classificato nella sezione Ambiente © Luca Locatelli, Italy, Finalist, Professional, Environment, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

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"Evidence of Shintoism and Buddhism - the most common religions in Japan - can be found in every corner of the country. Shrines and torii (traditional Japanese gates commonly found at the entrance to Shinto shrines, marking the transition from mundane to sacred spaces) can be seen in the remotest of locations, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the highest mountains and the deepest forests. Most of the time I use neutral density filters to force long exposures and keep my work minimalist in style. Some of my exposures last five minutes or more, which makes any distracting elements in the water or sky disappear - the longer the exposure, the clearer the photograph. "

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Ronny Behnert (Germania), serie “Torii”, vincitore di Paesaggi. Le 10 categorie del concorso Professional hanno registrato oltre 135 mila immagini iscritte © Ronny Behnert, Germany, Finalist, Professional, Landscape, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

"Lop Nor is a former salt lake, now largely dried-up, located in Xinjiang province in northwest China. This barren area was used intermittently as a nuclear weapons testing site from 1964 to 1996, with as many as 45 tests carried out underground and in the atmosphere. The first Chinese nuclear bomb test, codenamed Project 596, was conducted here in October 1964. As a result of these activities, the region is still heavily contaminated. With Project 596 (Chinese Nuclear Landscape) I wanted to show the invisible danger in this desolate area. Using a Geiger counter I measured the presence of radiation in becquerels (Bq). The title of each image is the level of soil contamination I recorded, expressed in Bq. Using digital techniques, I superimposed image fragments, suggesting atoms altering and a general feeling of impermanence. These broken perspectives show the landscape twisting and changing, leading to a sort of vertigo or malaise. The work hints at the danger hidden behind the landscapes. "

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Paesaggi: al secondo posto il lavoro di Florian Ruiz © Florian Ruiz, France, Finalist, Professional, Landscape, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

HARARE, ZIMBABWE, 24 JUNE 2018: A Temminck’s Pangolin learns to forage again after being rescued from traffickers on the Zimbabwe/South Africa border. Pangolin caregivers at this anonymous farm care for rescued, illegally trafficked pangolins, helping them to find ants and termites to eat and keeping them safe from predators and poachers. This is one of only three true Pangolin rescue and rehabilitation sites in the world. Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million being trafficked to Asia in the last ten year. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and all trade or consumption is illegal. The Tiki Hywood trust undertakes public awareness campaigns on Pangolins, trains law enforcement and judiciary personnel, conducts research, and rehabilitates pangolins that have been confiscated from the illegal trade. They are based in Zimbabwe but operate with partners across Africa and Asia.

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“Pangolins in Crisis”, Brent Stirton (Sudafrica): i pangolini sono i mammiferi più trafficati illegalmente nel mondo. Il loro commercio in una serie di foto nella categoria Natura e animali selvatici © Brent Stirton, South Africa, Finalist, Professional, Natural World & Wildlife, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

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"Himebotaru is a type of firefly, measuring just six millimetres long, that lives in the forest. Both males and females emit a short burst of strong light, much like a flash - males at a rate of once per second and females once every two or three seconds. I’ve been researching the fireflies’ habitat for seven years now - these pictures were taken in the mountains of Tottori, Japan, in June and July 2019. Exposure times ranged from 13 seconds to 10 minutes. The purpose of the project is to share this phenomenon with people in the hope that it will encourage them to protect these wonderful creatures. "

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Natura e animali selvatici: il mondo fatto di luci e ombre nelle foto di Masahiro Hiroike (Giappone), secondo classificato © Masahiro Hiroike, Japan, Finalist, Professional, Natural World & Wildlife, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

MALICK. gAMBIA (1998). Left - 1ST aUGUST 2016 (Mediterranean sea - libya). RIGHT - 26TH JUNE 2019 (Italy)

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Ritratto: vince la serie “Passengers” di Cesar Dezfuli. I progetti dei finalisti di quest’anno toccano una grande varietà di argomenti e si avvalgono di diverse tecniche fotografiche © Cesar Dezfuli, Spain, Category Winner, Professional, Portraiture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

"Unsung Heroes is a project about violence against women around the world. In 2019, with support from international humanitarian association Médecins du Monde, I visited five continents and met more than 100 victims of violence. The women agreed to testify, their faces uncovered, in front of my camera. Some subjects had suffered violence linked to displacement following the war in Syria and in Colombia, others had survived domestic abuse, or the use of collective rape as a weapon in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Still more had faced moral violence, sexual exploitation, or discrimination against gender identity in Nepal, Cameroon and Uganda. The women I met are shadows that enter the light. The bruises and creases on the surface of their skin tell a story. Added to this are the voices, the words, the intimate experiences of violence that were shared. I wanted to show the suffering experienced by these women, but also their strength and resilience – in short, their ability to get up and fight again. "

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Medaglia d’argento per il fotografo Denis Rouvre (Francia) nella categoria Ritratto © Denis Rouvre, France, Finalist, Professional, Portraiture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

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"Wrestling has become the number one national sport in Senegal, ahead of football, and has also become a means of social ascendance. For many, it’s a slice of African life, tradition and culture, in which there is a curious mix of animist and Muslim beliefs. These pictures show wrestlers training on a beach in Dakar. "

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Il wrestling è sport nazionale in Senegal e in alcune zone del Gambia: lottatori all’opera negli scatti di Ángel López Soto, che vince della categoria Sport con la serie intitolata “Senegalese Wrestlers” © Ángel López Soto, Spain, Finalist, Professional, Sport, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Nikita SHLEIKHER of Russia competes in the diving Men's 3m Springboard final at the Nambu University Aquatics Center, Gwangju South Korea on July 18 2019
18th FINA World Aquatics Championships
Photo © Andrea Staccioli / Deepbluemedia / Insidefoto

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Andrea Staccioli guadagna il terzo posto nella sezione Sport, con alcune foto tratte dai Campionati mondiali di acquatica FINA di Gwangju, in Corea del Sud nel 2019 © Andrea Staccioli, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional, Sport, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

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Tokyo (Japan), Miraikan, The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation: a close-up of Alter, a robot on display at the museum. Some believe that the in the future, it will be possible to completely “download” our minds into humanoids similar to this one, and therefore, by overcoming the physical limits imposed by the human body, it will be possible to live forever.

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L’italiano Alessandro Gandolfi e la serie “Immortality, Inc.” vincono nella sezione Still Life © Alessandro Gandolfi, Italy, Finalist, Professional, Still Life, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

"Plexus is a photographic case study that uses my family home and archival material to investigate my ancestors history. With this body of work, I want to raise awareness of how the aftermath of conflicts can affect the generations that follow, and examine how collective memory is shaped and influenced. Creating a new sense of identity by confronting the past, spanning four generations, provides the basis for a detailed investigation of postmemory, mental health, war and history. "

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Still Life: secondo posto per Elena Helfrecht. Tutte le foto vincitrici sono disponibili online © Elena Helfrecht, Germany, Finalist, Professional, Still Life, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

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