Press

HUMAN.KIND.
A New Look at Humanitarian Photography Through 10 Editions of the Prix Pictet

From 19 October 2023 to 25 August 2024

Human.Kind. presents an alternative approach to photographing humanitarian action. The exhibition showcases the work of 30 of the 3,000 photographers from around the world who’ve been nominated for the Prix Pictet since it was first awarded in 2008. Their images depict key aspects of humanitarian action differently from anything we see in the news. What sets them apart? An unerring sense of compassion.

With the photographies by Erza Acayan, Lynsey Addario, Emmanuelle Andrianjafy, Elena Anosova, Evgenia Arbugaeva, Subrata Biswas, Myriam Boulos, Omar Victor Diop, Luisa Dörr, Philippe Dudouit, Alinka Echeverria, Rena Effendi, Andrew Esiebo, Charles Fréger, Nermine Hammam, Nanna Heitmann, Jeroen Hofman, Qingjun Huang, Tomoko Kikuchi, Alex Majoli, Gideon Mendel, Maciek Nabrdalik, Emin Ozmen, Muzaffar Salman, Mila Teshaieva, Carlo Valsecchi, Peter Van Atgmael, Xiaoxiao Xu, Etinosa Yvonne, Adriana Zehbrauskas.

North Communication

Romaine Travelletti
T +41 79 580 73 36 
romaine@north-communication.ch

• How can humanitarian action be photographed differently?
• What is it about a humanitarian image that leaves a lasting impression?
• How can photographers convey the long-term impact of a crisis and the complexity of humanitarian work?
• Does our conception of humanitarian action match reality?

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum reflects further on humanitarian imagery and the way we perceive it with Human.Kind., a new exhibition running from 19 October 2023 to 25 August 2024.

Human.Kind. showcases the work of 30 photographers selected from the thousands of nominees for the Prix Pictet, one of the world’s leading awards for photography. These documentary photographs, portraits and photomontages address the major issues of humanitarian action, from conflict and climate change to psychosocial support and respect for human dignity. But they are not like the images we see in the news. What sets them apart? An unerring sense of compassion.

Exploring the works of 3,000 contemporary photographers

Human.Kind. brings together 30 photographers – 15 men and 15 women – from 24 countries, all of whom have been nominated for one of the 10 cycles of the Prix Pictet. The award, which was founded in 2008 and focuses on sustainability, has drawn attention to the work of some 3,000 leading photographers to date. Together, their portfolios challenge us to rethink how we portray the major issues of humanitarian action. William A. Ewing, author, speaker, former director of the Musée de l’Élysée and co-curator of the exhibition, said: “The humanitarian impulse is a driving force of much contemporary photography, although that’s not always acknowledged. Compassion and concern for others, and recognition of their often painfully difficult circumstances – these are issues that have profoundly inspired many of the nominees for the Prix Pictet over the past decade and a half. For this exhibition it was our privilege to select, from that group of photographers, 30 portfolios that explore fundamental concerns of our time in powerful ways.”

Human.Kind. features around 300 images addressing a wide variety of subjects, from the 2022 eruption of Taal Volcano in the Philippines and the activities of armed groups in the Sahel, to conditions in women’s prisons in Siberia and the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. Through their sensitive approach, the photographers put the dignity of their subjects front and centre, prompting us to reflect on our shared humanity. Elisa Rusca, Director of Exhibitions and Collections at the Museum, and co-curator of the exhibition, said: “Human.Kind. acquaints visitors with diverse contemporary worldviews. By emphasizing notions of dignity and care, it offers a resolutely personal, community-focused look at the questions and values that guide humanitarian action.”

With its accent on contemporary photography, Human.Kind. builds on the Museum’s exploration of humanitarianism through the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement’s unparalleled photographic archives. It follows on from the 2021 exhibition To Heal a World, which was co-produced with the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival and is now on tour. Pascal Hufschmid, Executive Director of the Museum and originator of both exhibitions, said: “Human.Kind. challenges the established codes of humanitarian imagery, helping us make better sense of the images that flood our screens on a daily basis. It highlights the extent to which art can aid our understanding of the world we live in.”

What might a caring museum look like?

To coincide with the exhibition, the Museum has published 10 ideas for a caring museum, a study by Marzia Varutti, on its website. Varutti, a museologist, cultural historian and research fellow at the University of Geneva’s Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences (CISA), worked with the Museum throughout its Year of Mental Health (2022–2023).

The Museum is also continuing to transform its indoor spaces in conjunction with the team from architectural firm baubüro in situ, putting its visitors’ comfort front and centre and applying circular architecture principles in an eco-responsible way. The new public areas, which are scheduled to open in February 2024, include a café, a co-creation space, a shop and a conference room.

What does it mean to photograph the complex lives of others with empathy and respect, especially when they are living through a humanitarian crisis? Sometimes, photographers are drawn to documenting the vibrant fabric of social ritual, ceremony and celebration. At other times, they are called upon to capture social turmoil, even when the lives of their subjects – and their own lives – are at risk. What does humanitarian photography mean today, and can we image novel perspectives?

Human.Kind. presents 30 series of images by 30 photographers representing 24 different nationalities. What they all have in common, beyond their compassion and empathy, is that they were nominees for the prestigious Prix Pictet photography award at some point during its existence since its inception in 2008. Through their words – we asked them to answer the question, “How does humanitarian action concern us all, here and now?” – and through their work – specific projects or a mix of images across several stories – we explore a more expansive and more generous vision of humanitarian photography, even proposing a new way of thinking about socially engaged photography more broadly.

As historian Rutger Bregman wrote: “It’s time for a new realism. It’s time for a new view of humankind.” We believe that photography can help move that vision forward.

• Opening event : 18 October 2023, 6pm
• Afterwork event and guided tour with the curators : 23 November 2023, 6pm | 21 March 2024, 6pm
• An afternoon with photographer Omar Victor Diop : 27 January 2024, 2pm
• Solidarity Sundays for families : 5 November | 3 December | 4 February | 3 March | 7 April
• Press previews: 17 and 18 October 2023 (photographers in attendance)

How does humanitarian action affect us all, here and now?

• Charles Fréger

  1975, Bourges, France

“Caring for others, helping people – these aren’t things that can be outsourced to technology. Humanitarian action allows us to do more together than we could ever achieve alone.”

Since 2010, Charles Fréger has produced four books focusing on traditional clothing and uniforms worn in different parts of the world: Wilder Mann, (Europe, 2010–present), Yokainoshima (Japan, 2013–2015), Cimarron (Americas, 2014–2018) and Aam Aastha (India, 2019–2022). His works seek to look behind the masks, revealing facets of our relationship with our own kind.

Starting in the early 2000s, Charles Fréger has developed a collection of “Photographic and Uniform Portraits” that, together, serve as an encyclopaedic inventory of the world’s communities. He lives in Rouen, France.

• Subrata Biswas

  1982, Kolkata, India

“Responsible and conscious humanitarian action without discrimination solves problems, combats injustice and builds a more compassionate, inclusive world for humankind.”

Subrata Biswas's rich photojournalistic work is shown here through four series: Muzaffarnagar Riots (2013) bears witness to communal riots between Muslims and Hindus; Coal Trap (2013) presents the direct consequences of unregulated coal mining in Chhattisgarh ; malnutrition associated with consecutive crop failures due to climate change is at the heart of Hard Lives of Sahariyas (2014); Brave-Heart Girl Lit a Flame (2012) documents the wave of outrage and protests across the country following the gang rape of a 23-year-old woman during a bus ride in New Delhi.

Subrata Biswas is an independent photojournalist focusing on human rights, social and cultural anthropology, and the impact of climate change. He is currently based in Kolkata.

• Nanna Heitmann

  1994, Ulm, Germany

“We live in a globalized world, in a time of climate change and conflict. It is our responsibility not to close our eyes to what is happening in the world and around us.”

Nanna Heitmann has documented the effects of climate change, such as catastrophic forest fires and melting permafrost in Siberia (As Frozen Lands Burn). Her work often deals with issues of isolation – physical, social and spiritual. In Hiding from Baba Yaga, a project whose title was inspired by the witch of Slavic folklore, Heitmann followed the Yenisei – one of the world’s longest rivers – from Tuva Republic northwards through Siberia, photographing the lives of people living on the river’s remote banks. Her gaze conveys the dignity and humanity of these people and allows the viewer to look at them with curiosity and empathy. 

Nanna Heitmann, who is based in Moscow, studied photojournalism and documentary photography at the University of Hanover in Germany. She joined Magnum Photos as a nominee in 2019.

• Etinosa Yvonne

  1989, Sokoto, Nigeria

“A problem-free world is not assured, but our collective action or inaction determines how the problems affect us and their victims.”

In many communities throughout Africa, houses made from earthen materials have existed since time immemorial. In her recent wanderings across different countries, Etinosa Yvonne has observed that, while the vast majority of these houses might appear visually similar, their style, functionality and history differ. Her ongoing series Ode to Mud is both a celebration and a catalogue of this traditional architecture, aiming to highlight its richness and diversity. The uniqueness of each house is emphasized by the digital manipulation of the image: with the background taken away, the houses seem to float in colours.

Etinosa Yvonne is a self-taught documentary photographer and visual artist born and brought up in Nigeria. She works with various art forms including photos and videos. She is based in Abuja, Nigeria.

• Peter van Agtmael

  1981, Washington D.C., USA

“I’ve covered many conflicts and disasters, and humanitarian action is often the difference between life and death.”

About the Family series, van Agtmael says: “The most important thing I’ve learned from photography is that every moment is of potential beauty and significance. I’ve taken pictures of my family since I picked up a camera. Casually at first, but with seriousness as ageing, illness and death became inescapable. Photographs are a futile but powerful way to try and stop time. But eventually every picture becomes a ghost.”

Peter van Agtmael is a Magnum photographer focusing on the influence and consequences of American power at home and abroad. He is based in New York and Paris.

• Ezra Acayan

  1993, Manila, Philippines

“Issues like climate change, wealth inequality and political unrest aren’t confined by geographical boundaries. They affect us all. Witnessing these efforts reminds us of our shared responsibilities and interconnectedness.”

Taal Volcano, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, began erupting on 12 January 2020, spewing ash up to 14 kilometres into the air. The resulting ashfalls and volcanic thunderstorms led to forced evacuations from the surrounding area. Nearly 750,000 people were affected by the eruption. Damage caused to infrastructure and livelihoods, such as farming, fishing and tourism, was estimated at around $70 million.

Ezra Acayan is a photojournalist based in the Philippines. He has a decade of experience with numerous international agencies and regularly works on assignment for Getty Images.

• Rena Effendi

  1977, Baku, Azerbaijan

“I use photography as a language to communicate humanitarian concerns. I believe it has the power to inspire social change.”

Khinaliq is Azerbaijan’s highest inhabited village. Because of its remote location, the community has managed to preserve its ancient way of life. There is no running water other than the nearby stream, and no gas other than the natural fires sprouting from the mountains. The village is home to around 1,000 shepherd families, which speak the unique and endangered Khinalug language.

Rena Effendi, based in Istanbul, is an award-winning documentary photographer, National Geographic explorer, writer and filmmaker. She is the author of two monographs.

• Nermine Hammam

  1967, Cairo, Egypt

“As a female photographer, I entered this traditionally male-dominated space, camera in hand, inverting conventional power relationships to ‘shoot’ the soldiers.”

The series Unfolding (2012) is about universal youth and the harshness and inhumanity of sending young men to war. It was inspired by propaganda posters from the 1940s and 1950s depicting strong figures in idealized settings. The photographic material collected from public sources, mixed with Japanese-inspired backgrounds, emphasizes the discordant presence of armed men among civilians in Tahrir square: men of war in a paradise.

Nermina Hammam photographs the world and then digitally alters the images to create intricate composites, a form of personal tapestry. She lives and works between Cairo and London.

• Myriam Boulos

  1992, Beirut, Lebanon

“As a Lebanese photographer, I believe that giving space to personal stories is an act of resistance, and that defying the traditional ways of representing our region is a way of reclaiming what’s ours.”

This selection of recent works portrays the photographer’s friends and family, and her city’s society, with energy and intimacy. From protests against corruption and government austerity to those held in the wake of the devastating port explosion in the summer of 2020, the personal and the political intermingle in a contrasting and complex universe.

Myriam Boulos joined Magnum Photos as a nominee in 2021. She lives and works in Beirut.

• Alinka Echeverría

  1981, Mexico City, Mexico

“Helping those in need is an intrinsic part of our humanity. Caring for our fellow humans is integral to our global community.”

The Road to Tepeyac consists of over 100 images of devout Mexican pilgrims carrying their personal image of the Virgin of Guadalupe on the anniversary of her apparition in 1531. The work, consisting of multiple representations of the sacred image, provides a kaleidoscopic experience while at the same time deconstructing the historical, political, philosophical, psychological and anthropological relationship between an invisible presence and its materialized expression.

Alinka Echeverría is a Mexican-British artist working in multiple media. She holds a master’s degree in social anthropology and development from the University of Edinburgh (2004) and a postgraduate degree in photography from the International Center of Photography in New York (2008).

• Elena Anosova

  1983, Irkutsk, Russia

“I’m a humanist and I’m an artist. For me, it’s very important to ask someone’s permission before photographing them. I’m very grateful to all my subjects: while I’m taking their picture, they don’t stop being daughters, mothers, teachers.”

The topics Elena Anosova works with include borders, identity and collective memory. Section is part of a trilogy centred around the lives of women in closed institutions in Russia. The series focuses on fragments of the private and the intimate in the microcosm of prisons, drawing attention to the fact that these women need to be rehabilitated after they are released and will require help reintegrating into society.

Elena’s work has been published globally, including National Geographic, Marie Claire, The New Yorker and others. She lives in Moscow.

• Emin Özmen

  1985, Sivas, Türkiye

“My aim is to bring attention to the suffering of victims of civil unrest and social injustice in my home country and around the world. Olay reflects my state of mind, how I feel as a Turk. It’s like experiencing thwarted love.”

“Olay”, meaning “incident” or “event” in Turkish, is a chronicle that reflects what Türkiye has been going through for a decade: a dizzying succession of dramatic and stressful events, a constant oscillation between moments of violence and moments of grace. As a homage to his fellow citizens “who suffer and resist in silence”, Özmen depicts a universe in which nothing is simple, and where everything is intermingled and confronted – the beautiful as well as the ugly, sadness as well as joy.

Emin Özmen obtained a degree in documentary photography from the University of Art and Design Linz in 2008 and joined Magnum Photos in 2017. He currently lives in Istanbul.

• Xiaoxiao Xu

  1984, Qingtian, China

“I believe in protecting life, helping people and ensuring respect for human beings. We need to stick together and become stronger as a whole.”

This series revolves around Shehuo, a traditional Chinese festival involving folk art performed across rural north-western China. Its origins can be traced back to the Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–256 BC). “She” means “God of the Land” and “huo” means “fire”: the fire expels evil spirits from the land, after which the God of the Land brings blessings. Through theatrical performances, songs and acrobatics, farmers invoked blessings for an abundant and fruitful harvest.

Xiaoxiao Xu has been based in the Netherlands since 1999 and currently lives in Utrecht. She graduated with honours from the Photo Academy Amsterdam. Her book Shooting the Tiger was shortlisted for the 2023 Book Awards of Les Rencontres d’Arles.

• Adriana Zehbrauskas

  1968, São Paolo, Brazil

“Now more than ever, working together as a community is of the utmost importance if we are to tackle the huge issues facing humankind and the planet itself.”

After a lifetime spent working the brutal streets of Mexico City, former sex workers were destitute and alone, with nowhere to go. When Carmen Muñoz, a one-time prostitute, discovered some of her former colleagues sleeping under cardboard in La Merced, a popular red-light district nearby, she decided to take them in and began looking for allies. A group of prominent Mexican feminists offered to help, and with private and public money – plus a building provided rent-free by the Mexico City mayor’s office – they founded Casa Xochiquetzal, named after the Aztec goddess of beauty and sexual love. Open since 2006, the place is a haven where older prostitutes rescued from the streets can live with dignity.

Adriana Zehbrauskas is a photojournalist whose life-long practice has focused on issues such as migration, religion, human rights, underrepresented communities, and violence linked to the drug trade in Mexico and elsewhere in Central and South America. She is based in Phoenix, Arizona.

• Maciek Nabrdalik

  1980, Częstochowa, Poland

“While not everyone may be ready for hands-on humanitarian work, fostering an empathetic and kind community should be a shared obligation.”

The Irreversible is a collection of 42 portraits and reflections from Nazi camp survivors. The project started with an assignment for Smithsonian magazine about conservation efforts at Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. It features the experiences, thoughts and feelings of people of various nationalities and religious creeds, who were imprisoned for different reasons. 

Maciek Nabrdalik is a Warsaw-based documentary photographer and member of the VII Photo Agency. His primary focus is on sociological changes in Eastern Europe.

• Muzaffar Salman

  1976, Homs, Syria

“We have no alternative. Humanitarian action is a significant factor in the development of civilizations, despite the contemporary spirit leading us to think otherwise.”

After a difficult journey, Muzaffar Salman arrived in Aleppo in 2013 with the intention of capturing the war. He suddenly found himself searching for moments of life instead of fragments of death. Aleppo Diaries is a collection of images interrogating that driving force that pushes humans to hold on to life and resist surrender.

Muzaffar Salman is a visual storyteller and former freelancer for the Associated Press and Reuters. He is currently a photojournalism trainer at Media in Cooperation and Transition in Berlin. He is based in Rouen, France.

• Carlo Valsecchi

  1965, Brescia, Italy

“We study the past to try to understand the present and imagine the future.”

Bellum follows the traces of an ancestral conflict between man and nature and between man and man, while also looking at the use of nature as a defence against “the other” and at man’s defence against nature. The scene of this tragic encounter is mountainous northern Italy, where the nation’s soldiers fought the Austro-Hungarians in a savage campaign.

Carlo Valsecchi has engaged in many extensive documentary projects over the years, involving major museum exhibitions. Bellum was recently shown at the Collezione Maramotti, in Reggio Emilia, and published in book form by Silvana Editoriale, Milan. Valsecchi lives in Milan.

• Omar Victor Diop

  1980, Dakar, Senegal

“My intention is to show the struggle of my people, their moments of pride, their altruism, their incredible diversity and their capacity to adapt.”

Omar Victor Diop’s work connects the history and modernity of African societies, whether by sublimating their lifestyles or colouring their self-image. For his series Diaspora (2014), Diop produced staged portraits of himself representing notable African figures from history. The series Liberty (2017) evokes and juxtaposes key moments of Black protests. While these events are distinct in time, geography and scope, Diop places them in a common chronology – that of a quest for freedom that is too often scorned. These representations are a tribute to those who aspire to freedom and dignity.

After graduating from the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, Omar Victor Diop first worked for British American Tobacco in Africa. In 2011, he abandoned corporate communications to devote himself fully to his career as an artist. He lives and works in Paris and Dakar.

• Emmanuelle Andrianjafy

  1983, Antananarivo, Madagascar

“We are not dealt the same cards. At any scale, I believe it is kindness to listen to and help one another.”

Emmanuelle Andrianjafy relocated to Senegal in 2011. The series Finding Dakar, which recounts her discoveries of her new city during long walks, captures her initial explorations of the Senegalese capital and reflects a personal early experience with photography. 

An engineer-turned-photographer, Emmanuelle Andrianjafy has lived in France and Senegal, and is currently based in Kenya. Her project Nothing’s in Vain was the winner of the MACK First Book Award and the Contemporary African Photography Prize in 2017 and was a finalist for the Aperture Portfolio Prize that same year. Her work was shown at the Rencontres de la photographie d’Arles in 2021.

• Mila Teshaieva,

  1974, Kyiv, Ukraine

“Witnessing the current war in Ukraine firsthand, I realize how important it is for people living through the crisis to feel that the outside world is responding to their needs.”

In InselWesen, the figures appear as if in a dream world. These are inhabitants of Föhr, in the North Frisian Islands. The artist has portrayed them in an elaborate staging of their homes and places of work under the darkness of night, using the venerable technique of light painting. The solitude of the island helps to preserve traditions and bonds with nature. But as the island tries to protect its unique identity from assimilation and disappearance, its future is uncertain and fragile.

Mila Teshaieva is a Ukrainian artist whose work focuses on themes of memory and identity. Her work has been exhibited at the MIT Museum, Boston, and the Museum of European Cultures, Berlin, as well as in many other museum shows. InselWesen was published in 2016. She lives in Berlin.

• Lynsey Addario

  1973, Connecticut, United States of America

“Watching uprisings unfold and people fight to the death for their freedom, I understand that I am documenting not only news but also the fate of societies.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and MacArthur Fellow Lynsey Addario has spent the last two decades bearing witness to the world’s most urgent humanitarian and human rights crises. Travelling to the most dangerous and remote corners to document crucial moments, such as Afghanistan under the Taliban immediately before and after the 9/11 attacks, Iraq following the US-led invasion and dismantlement of Saddam Hussein’s government, and western Sudan in the aftermath of the genocide in Darfur, she has captured through her photographs visual testimony not only of war and injustice but also of humanity, dignity and resilience.

Lynsey Addario has been covering conflict, humanitarian crises and women’s issues around the Middle East and Africa on assignment for The New York Times and National Geographic for more than two decades.

• Gideon Mendel

  1959, Johannesburg, South Africa

“As our climate emergency becomes viscerally evident with an unprecedented increase in wildfires and floods, humanitarian action is climate action.”

Since the start of 2020, I have travelled to Australia, Canada, Greece and the United States of America documenting the aftermath of fires that destroyed homes, killed numerous people and burned millions of acres of land. All these areas had experienced some of their highest temperatures ever recorded, precipitating these infernos.

Gideon Mendel has been documenting the impacts of climate change with his Drowning World and Burning World projects since 2007. He lives in London.

• Alex Majoli

  1971, Ravenna, Italy

“Walter Benjamin said: ‘There is no document of civilization that is not at the same time a document of barbarism’. We must keep experimenting with truth, because only through such an experiment can we create understanding and, therefore, compassion.”

Alex Majoli’s work explores this idea of people as actors in their own lives. Majoli notes: “Nothing was like before the COVID-19 pandemic and nothing will be the same after. During the pandemic, reality surpassed imagination and everyone found themselves in roles we would not have thought of. I tried to scrutinize the human soul confronting an invisible evil.”

Alex Majoli graduated from the Art Institute in Ravenna in 1991 and joined Magnum Photos in 2001. He documents various conflicts worldwide for Newsweek, The New York Times Magazine, Granta and National Geographic. He is based in New York, Amsterdam and Sicily.

• Tomoko Kikuchi

  1973, Tokyo, Japan

“Humanitarian action has an impact on our awareness and behaviour. It prevents us from taking part in evil through our apathy.”

The photographic series I and I portrays members of the LGBTQ community, especially drag queen performers, in China in the early 21st century. It captures the various and changing living conditions and life experiences of people on the fringes of society coming to terms with their sexuality. 

Tomoko Kikuchi won the Kimura Ihei Award (2012) and the inaugural Prix Pictet Japan Award (2015). Her works are included in the collections of the Mori Art Museum, the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum. She currently lives in Kanagawa, Japan.

• Luisa Dörr

  1988, Lajeado, Brazil

“Humanitarian action can take place anywhere and at any time. It is especially relevant today, when we get real-time information about every situation happening across the planet. Not to take action is to be a part of the problem.”

The series Imilla (2021) is named for the word that means “young girl” in the native Aymara and Quechua languages. It focuses on the ImillaSkate collective, who wear “polleras” – bulky skirts imposed on the native population by Spanish conquerors in the 16th century and commonly associated with indigenous women from the highlands. In Falleras (2018), Dörr explores Las Fallas, a street festival in Valencia and one of the biggest of its kind in Spain. Inspired by clothes worn centuries ago by women working in rice fields around the city, the dresses have changed over time and are now elaborate, expensive creations.

Dörr's photographs have been published in TIME, National Geographic, The New York Times, and Wired, among others. She currently lives in Bahia.

• Andrew Esiebo

  1978, Lagos, Nigeria

“I strongly believe in photography’s power to catalyse humanitarian action, granting a voice, dignity and humanity to vulnerable individuals. Here and now, humanitarian action is everyone’s responsibility.”

The Who We Are series deconstructs stereotypical approaches to heteronormativity. Through intimate portraits of homosexual men in everyday settings, the series explores love, desires, aspirations and compassion. It highlights the unique aggressions faced by these subjects in African societies in an attempt to foster understanding and promote debates on sexual complexities and diversities.

Andrew Esiebo’s works delve into social issues, cultural diversity and identity. They have been published in National Geographic, The New York Times, Courrier International, CNN African Voices and The Financial Times, among others. He currently lives in Nigeria.

• Philippe Dudouit

  1977, Lausanne, Switzerland

Even before he picks up his camera, Philippe Dudouit conducts in-depth historical, geopolitical and cartographic research and analysis. His work forms a long-term study of the sociopolitical evolution of the Sahelo-Saharan region since 2008 – an area that now faces a dangerous cocktail of underdevelopment, poverty and state failure.

Philippe Dudouit is a documentary photographer and filmmaker based in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

His study of the Sahelo-Saharan region was published in 2019 by Edition Patrick Frey as The Dynamics of Dust.

• Huang Qingjun

  1971, Daqing, China

“Humanitarian actions allow artists to better create thought-provoking works.”

Qingjun Huang has been working on the Family Stuff series and sub-series for 20 years. For Online Shopping Family Stuff, he visited cities and remote areas in China, asking people to take out everything they had ever bought online. He then photographed them together with the items they had purchased, in a pointed reminder of the incredible reach of the internet and how that invisible, global network influences people’s lives.

Qingjun Huang is a freelance photographer currently based in the United States of America. He was a winner at the 2020 Tokyo International Foto Awards and the 2015 China International Press Photo Contest, and was a finalist in the London International Creative Competition 2015. He has been published in The New York Times, Bloomberg and Wired, among others.

• Evgenia Arbugaeva

  1985, Tiksi, Russia

“Observing people living in the harsh northern environment has taught me that we can only survive if we are there for each other.”

Evgenia Arbugaeva grew up in Tiksi, a seaport town on the shore of the Laptev Sea. In her personal work, she often looks to her homeland – the Arctic – to discover and document remote worlds and the people who inhabit them. Hyperborea is a series of four stories from the Siberian shores of the Arctic Ocean: a remote weather station in the polar night, an abandoned town illuminated by the aurora borealis, a lighthouse in a winter storm, and the mysterious land of the indigenous Chukchi community.

Evgenia Arbugaeva is a National Geographic Society Storytelling Fellow. Her work has been exhibited internationally and has appeared in publications such as National Geographic, Time and The New Yorker, among others. She lives in London.

• Jeroen Hofman

  1976, Helmond, Netherlands

“The world is changing at a rapid pace. Climate change and endless wars will affect us all. A coordinated, rapid response is of the utmost importance.”

In Park (2018), Jeroen Hofman documented communal spaces and how we share them. Parks are of tremendous importance to almost every city. As well as functioning as collective backyards for otherwise cramped-for-space urban inhabitants, they also cater to many of their other needs, such as sports, recreation and nature. With people from many different cultural backgrounds and different generations using them for a myriad of activities, the city’s parks are colourful mosaics.

Jeroen Hofman studied photography at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. He currently lives in Amsterdam. He has won several awards and prizes, including the Silver Camera Award twice – once for his work Playground (2011) and again, in 2014, for his portrait of Dutch dancer and choreographer Hans van Manen.

The Prix Pictet aims to harness the power of photography – all genres of photography – to draw global attention to issues of sustainability, especially those concerning the environment. Founded in 2008 by the Pictet Group, the Prix Pictet has become the world’s leading award for photography and sustainability. To date, there have been nine cycles of the award, each of which has highlighted a particular facet of sustainability. The winner of the tenth cycle, entitled Human, will be announced in late September 2023.

https://prix.pictet.com/

Curators 

William A. Ewing and Elisa Rusca

Head of projet

Pascal Hufschmid

Produced by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, with the support of the Prix Pictet

Graphic design

Emilie Excoffier et / and Manon Schaefer, Enen Studio, Fribourg

Lettering and labels
Philippe Richard et / and Serge Ribordy, Atelier Richard, Genève

Installation

Serafin Brandenberger, Karim Forlin, Tindaro Gagliano, Patricio Gil Flood, Roland Gueissaz et / and Maarten Van de Laar

Translations and editing

Yves-Alexandre Jaquier

Scala Wells Sàrl

Advertising

Fanny Müller et / and Adrien Imstepf, Cosatic, Fribourg

Neo Advertising, Genève

APG/SGA, Genève

Transports Publics Genevois

Digital Dilemmas to guide the Museum’s 2023–2024 programming

The international Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum has selected “digital dilemmas” as the guiding theme for the coming year. Alongside numerous partners from the world of humanitarian action, culture and research, the Museum will explore ideas and techniques that can be applied to to day-to-day life. For its forthcoming programming cycle, it will hold a series of events on digital dilemmas, curated by Valérie Gorin, from the Geneva Center of Humanitarian studies, and Oonagh Murphy, from Goldsmith University.

The launch of the Year of “digital dilemmas” coincides with the publication of “10 ideas for a caring Museum”, a compendium of the lessons learned from the Museum’s Year of Mental Health (2022-2023). The document, published online and written by Marzia Varutti, is the second toolkit we published.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum launches a new thematic cycle dedicated to Digital Dilemmas. Inaugurated with a lecture by Geneva artist Marta Revuelta on December 5, 2023, this new thematic focus for the museum's programming is the result of a collaboration with our partners in the humanitarian, cultural and research fields.

Following the "Mental Health" theme year in 2022-23 and "Gender and Diversity" in 2021-22, the Museum's ambition remains to explore innovative ideas applicable to our daily lives in relation to major societal concerns. This new programming cycle is under the direction of Valérie Gorin, from the Geneva Centre for Humanitarian Studies, and Dr. Oonagh Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society at Goldsmiths University, London, and a recognized expert in artificial intelligence and museology. On the program: five thematic meetings featuring contemporary artists and inspiring specialists working at the crossroads of the humanitarian, technological and museum sectors.

In the humanitarian field, as in our daily lives, digital transformation has progressed rapidly in recent years: the technologization of humanitarian hubs; innovations in the delivery of urgent assistance; the use of biometric data, artificial intelligence or telemedicine to map as well as respond effectively to the increasing number of crises and disasters that characterize our times... The wide variety of digital devices and the enthusiasm they arouse must not obscure the major ethical and security challenges that accompany them, particularly when it comes to protecting vulnerable populations.

What are the digital risks associated with cybersecurity and data protection? How do these innovations affect the human relationship at the heart of humanitarian aid? To what extent do these transformations call into question the inclusion and rights of the populations concerned?

Afin d’esquisser des réponses à ces enjeux contemporains dans le cadre d’un dialogue avec ses publics et ses partenaires, le Musée international de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge s’affirme comme un espace de réflexion, de création collective et de débat ouvert. L’année thématique permet ainsi d’axer la programmation du Musée – à travers ses expositions, événements, publications et productions digitales – en posture d’apprentissage mutuel. Chaque exercice thématique est clôturé par la publication d’une « boite à outils » orientée sur la pratique, à destination des professionnel.le.s du monde muséal, académique et humanitaire, afin de contribuer à transformer ces multiples savoirs en savoir-faire.

At the heart of our annual program is a cycle of multidisciplinary encounters led by Valérie Gorin, from Geneva's Centre d'études humanitaires.

• DECEMBER 5, 2023, 6-8:30PM - INAUGURAL WORKSHOP

With Geneva artist MARTA REVUELTA and designer DOROTA GRAJEWSKA

The "Synthetic Data" workshop, by Geneva-based artist Marta Revuelta and photographer and designer Dorota Grajewska, explores a paradigm shift in the field of machine learning - where AI could redefine our digital or "synthetic" reality with fictitious data, raising the question of the exponential increase in biases inherent in data sets and its potentially harmful consequences in our understanding of contemporary conflicts.

Over 18s, limited to 25 people.

Free, registration required.

• JANUARY 23, 2024 -DATA POWER AGENCY

With ALEXANDRE BARCLAY, CASSIE SEO & JOHN BRYANT

How much agency do beneficiary populations really have in terms of access to new technologies? Whether it's access to the Internet and electricity in crisis situations - or, conversely, the unbridled use of the latest technologies, such as biometrics, as a condition for granting humanitarian aid, the most vulnerable populations sometimes find themselves doubly pressurized - in both the physical and digital worlds. Between techno-colonialism, the politics of access and digital practices, this conference will give its audience the tools to ask themselves more questions and exercise a healthy curiosity about the technologies we intuitively mobilize on a daily basis.

Ages 18 and up.

Admission: 9.00

• MARCH 5, 2024 - TECH FOR GOOD?

With JULIA JANICKI, Center for Humanitarian Data

A specialist in data journalism and data storytelling, Julia Janicki tackles powerful issues through powerful visualizations. She will be talking about how data can also be used for awareness-raising and information purposes.

Practical information to follow.

• APRIL 16, 2024 - MISINFORMATION & HATE SPEECH IN THE DIGITAL ERA

What role can artists play in our understanding of online misinformation and hate speech? Academic experts, artists and humanitarians join forces to shed new light on these issues, touching on the shadowy areas of our freedom of expression in the age of information overload.

Practical information and speakers to follow.

• JUNE 2024 (date to be confirmed) - CLOSING EVENT

Event designed by PHILIPPE STOLL, Senior Techplomacy Delegate at the ICRC

Presentation of the "DIGITAL DILEMMAS" installation and thematic closing conference with the participation of Dr. Oonagh Murphy, Senior Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society at Goldsmiths University, London, and recognized expert in practices at the intersection of artificial intelligence and museology.

Practical information to follow.

Full program available soon at www.redcrossmuseum.ch/events

• Oonagh Murphy

Dr Oonagh Murphy, advises cultural organisations, government bodies, and funders worldwide on digital strategy, policy and practice. She is a widely published author whose writings have appeared in The Guardian, Arts Professional, The Irish Times, and many academic journals and books. She is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Culture and Society at Goldsmiths, University of London, and was formerly Course Director of the MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating at Richmond the American International University (London), in 2019 she worked with The National Gallery and The Metropolitan Museum of Art to establish The Museums + AI Network, this timely action research project defined a new field of practice which sits at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Museology. She has been working as an advisor, writer, and lecturer since the early 2010s and contributes to emerging global conversations around tech policy, data rights, public commons, and public purpose institutions in a digital world, and is a regular keynote speaker and facilitator at events, forums and conferences. She is a member of the College of Experts at DCMS (UK Government department) and supports the development of evidence-based policy making that shapes policy and practice across the Arts, Heritage and Tourism Portfolio. She is an Open Data Institute Accredited Data Ethics Facilitator and Data Ethics Professional. 

• Valérie Gorin

Valérie Gorin is Senior Lecturer and Researcher, Head of Learning at the Geneva Center of Humanitarian Studies. She holds a PhD in communication and media sciences from the University of Geneva (2013). Her areas of research focus on the visual culture and history of humanitarianism, humanitarian communication and the relationship with the media, and the evolution and uses of photojournalism. She is currently doing research on virtual reality, digital innovations, and advocacy strategies in humanitarian settings. She has published extensively on photojournalism, visual culture and advocacy in Digital Journalism (2015), the Middle East Journal of Culture and Communication (2017), Humanitarianism and the Media, 1900-2015 (Berghahn Books, 2018), L’humanitaire s’exhibe (1867-2016) (Georg, 2021). She also co-edited several publications about the responses to famine (European Review of History, 2015), the representations of the 2014-2016 migration crisis (Journal of Applied Journalism and Media Studies, 2018), humanitarian advocacy (Journal of Humanitarian Affairs, 2021) as well as a new edited volume (with B. Edgar and D. Martin Moruno) Making Humanitarian Crises: Emotions and Images in History (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022).

The launch of the Year of "Digital Dilemmas" (2023-24) coincides with the publication of 10 Ideas for a Caring Museum, the compendium of lessons learned from the Thematic Year dedicated to Mental Health (2022-23). This document, written by Marzia Varutti, is the second toolbox created by the Museum after 10 ideas for a feminist and inclusive museum, stemming from the "Gender and Diversity" year (2021-22) with Rebecca Amsellem. Designed as practical guides for professionals, these free online toolkits synthesize all the knowledge and learning developed in collaboration with the partners involved in each of our thematic cycles. They propose 10 key ideas, accompanied by a series of concrete measures - leaving everyone free to appropriate, adapt and add to them!

Free access (in English and French) at www.redcrossmuseum.ch

PETRIT HALILAJ
(HISTOIRES INACHEVÉES | UNFINISHED HISTORIES)
Very volcanic over this green feather

From 25 May to 17 September 2023

How do we come to terms with a story that we didn’t choose for ourselves? As part of our 2022/2023 mental health theme, Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj shares his personal journey through a visual story rooted in his childhood. During the Kosovo War in 1998–1999, he created a series of drawings that helped him cope with those tumultuous times. Now an accomplished artist, he has revisited those images and transformed them into an immersive installation that transports viewers into shared and personal memories of a child, but also into his dreams and aspirations for the future.

As part of its Year of Mental Health (2022–2023), the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum is reflecting on the passage of time with an exhibition that touches on a central theme of humanitarian action: resilience. The exhibition asks how can we access the memories of people who have lived through trauma, and how can we come to terms with a story that we didn’t choose for ourselves.

Running from 25 May to 17 September 2023, Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj’s unique and immersive installation tells the tender, poignant and heartfelt story of his personal experience through the medium of drawing. It explores the artist’s childhood memories of the Kosovo War, as well as his hopes and dreams for the future.

Meanwhile, the Museum is continuing its transformation into a hub serving the local community. Building on the success of last summer’s The Museum’s Gardens project, a new group of around 100 architecture students from EPFL’s Design Studio on the Conception of Space (ALICE) have been entrusted with taking care of the installations and putting their own stamp on the Museum’s outdoor spaces. Last year was all about wood. This time around, rammed earth and plants take centre stage.

Ongoing reconstruction

Halilaj was a child when his family was displaced during the Kosovo War (1998–1999) and fled to the Kukës II refugee camp in Albania. With the guidance of Italian emergency psychiatrist Giacomo “Angelo” Poli, a volunteer at the camp, he used felt-tip pens and paper to try to make sense of what he had seen and to express his hopes for the future. These drawings, which combine scenes of conflict he witnessed first-hand with heavenly landscapes drawn from his imagination, became Halilaj’s way of expressing what he was unable to say in words. One of his drawings, testifying to his early talent, was presented to then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during a visit to the camp in May 1999.

Halilaj rediscovered his childhood drawings 22 years later. An established artist, he decided to use them to help make sense of his past and to share it with others. The cut-out fragments have been blown up, printed on felt and paper, and suspended from the ceiling, forming a life-size forest scene that visitors can explore at their own pace.

The installation, evocatively named "Very volcanic over this green feather", sets up a dialogue between Halilaj as a child and Halilaj as an artist, gently provoking reflection and debate on the passage of time and the nature of resilience. For visitors, it is an opportunity to witness first-hand the unfinished process of reconstructing a personal story that resonates strongly today.

• "This project has its origins in Petrit Halilaj’s need to make sense of his past and his experience of war. His drawings were preserved for two decades but, for a long time, he was not able to re-work them. In 2020, he decided to write the next chapter in this unfinished story." Elisa Rusca, Director of Exhibitions and Collections and curator of the exhibition

Petrit Halilaj’s larger-than-life installation is a prime example of the Museum’s commitment to contemporary art. It builds on the success from A Fragile Balance, another highlight of the Museum’s Year of Mental Health (2022–2023), which gave carte blanche to three contemporary Swiss artists. Meanwhile, the theme of resilience, a key concern in the humanitarian field, ties in closely with the work of Boris Cyrulnik on display in the permanent exhibition.

About the Year of Mental Health (2022–2023)

For its Year of Mental Health, the Museum is working with academics, artists and humanitarian practitioners to explore ideas and approaches we can apply in our day-to-day lives.

• "By bringing communities together and inviting conversations about mental health, our aim is to help break the stigma surrounding this issue. This is above all an exercise in turning ideas into deeds: we want to transform knowledge into action so that the Museum and our visitors can learn from each other." Pascal Hufschmid, Executive Director of the Museum

The programming cycle, which began in September 2022 and runs through to summer 2023, includes:

• A series of events on mental health in the humanitarian sector and beyond, with input from researchers from the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies and the University of Geneva.
• Guided tours of the exhibitions, with commentary from experts at the Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences (CISA) at the University of Geneva.
• Public co-creation sessions to develop a practical guide on kindness, facilitated by researchers from the CISA.
• Mental-health first-aid courses for the public, leading to a certificate of completion delivered by ensa, an initiative operated by non-profit organization Pro Mente Sana.
• Emergency yoga classes, run by Donna Williams from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Born in 1986 in Kostërc, Kosovo, Halilaj lives and works between Germany, Kosovo and Italy. He is also a studio professor at the Beaux-Arts de Paris. His work is deeply connected with the recent history of his country, and the consequences of the political and cultural tensions in the region.

With ethnic conflict and war as its backdrop, Halilaj’s art, which is often rooted in his personal experience, understands exhibitions as a way to alter the course of personal and collective histories, creating complex worlds that claim space for freedom, desire, intimacy, and identity.

• "It takes a long time to change the status quo, but I trust in the power of art to build bridges between opposing world views. What I find fascinating is that, when you set up a dialogue between a soldier and a peacock, they end up telling a different story, free from the constraints of the collective representations that dominate our memory of conflict. In the end, the beauty of diversity shines through." Petrit Halilaj, interviewed for Tate St Ives in 2021

Halilaj’s work has been shown in solo exhibitions in Bern, Bonn, Turin, Paris, St Ives, Pristina, Madrid, Lisbon, New York and Los Angeles, as well as in group exhibitions in Lyon, Venice, Rome, Berlin and Toronto among other places. He is represented by Mennour, Paris, and ChertLüdde, Berlin.

North Communication

Romaine Travelletti
T +41 79 580 73 36 
romaine@north-communication.ch

A FRAGILE BALANCE | ÉQUILIBRES PRÉCAIRES
from 9 November 2022 to 12 March 2023

How do we keep our bearings in a world that’s changing at a dizzying speed? Where will we find new points of reference? What, ultimately, does our balance depend on?

As part of its Year of Mental Health (2022–2023), the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum has given carte blanche to three contemporary Swiss artists: Denise Bertschi, Nicolas Cilins and Nina Haab. Their unique productions, together with a sculpture by Olafur Eliasson, explore our physical and mental limits and make us mindful of our inner balance.

A FRAGILE BALANCE is an invitation to become fully present in the moment through a process of discovering, feeling, doing and letting go.

This new exhibition, which is the centrepiece of the Museum’s Year of Mental Health (2022–2023), features large-scale installations by three contemporary Swiss artists – Denise Bertschi (Aargau), Nicolas Cilins (Geneva) and Nina Haab (Ticino) – along with Geometric lines for horizons, a sculpture by Olafur Eliasson. Together, these pieces create a subtle, welcoming space for reflection.

Placing care front and centre

A FRAGILE BALANCE underscores the role of art as a powerful vehicle for caring for oneself and for others. The exhibits are not there to be contemplated. Rather, they offer an immersive experience that invites us to let go and feel fully present in the moment – to pause and reflect on our own limits and vulnerabilities, in all their diversity and complexity, and to take a moment to practise self-care.

For Elisa Rusca, the Museum’s chief curator and organizer of the exhibition, A FRAGILE BALANCE is akin to a balance pole: “The idea behind the exhibition is to highlight the tipping points between the near and the far, the individual and the collective, the private and the public, the bodily and the symbolic. It invites us to embrace the fragility of our balance.”

Despite the apparent diversity of their approaches, all three artists take collective memory as their starting point, exploring how we acknowledge and push beyond our limits through body movement (Cilins), neutrality (Bertschi) and the interplay between nature and culture (Haab).

• Healing Routine by Nicolas Cilins: what body movements tell us about our relationship with ourselves and others

Healing Routine is an immersive installation and the result of a collective endeavour: Nicolas Cilins and a group of International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum employees attended weekly dance therapy workshops led by Suzanne Z’Grabben and Maroussia Ehrnrooth.
With this installation, which was filmed at the Museum, Cilins addresses mental health through body movement. Can dance become a tool for understanding oneself and others? Can art heal everyday life? Healing Routine explores the body as much as the surrounding architecture. During the creative process, everyone had the opportunity to delve within themselves while exploring other ways of inhabiting the museum space. The resulting installation, which is not without humour, questions artistic therapies, the place of the artist and the role of the museum.

“I’m particularly interested in fragile balances. With Healing Routine, I wanted to explore this idea in a uniquely local way, which is why I chose the Museum as the setting. Dance therapy was a way to observe both what happens when people come together and what these coming-togethers do for or say about the participants.” – Nicolas Cilins (b. 1985)

• One Natural Border by Nina Haab: crossing natural barriers

The limits of reality and the intersection between collective and personal memory lie at the heart of Nina Haab’s artistic practice. She spent several years exploring well-known sites in the Swiss Alps: the Devil’s Bridge, the Gotthard Pass and the Nufenen Pass. These iconic sites serve a dual purpose, acting as both natural barriers and passageways.

One Natural Border is the culmination of several years of filming in different seasons, tracking the opening and closing of mountain passes. On the two large screens, images of untamed natural landscapes scroll by, to a soundtrack of voices speaking different languages. Here, these dialects – created and preserved by the existence of natural barriers – meet in a ritual as old as time itself: placing the common good at the centre of collective action.

“In One Natural Border, the two large screens stand close together, creating an immersive space – as if we were stepping into the place where two cultures meet. The experience invites us to reflect on ourselves, our origins and our affinities. Which side are we more familiar with: north or south?” – Nina Haab (b. 1985, Bellinzona)

• State Fiction by Denise Bertschi: exploring the limits of archival materials

The notion of borders and the role of neutrality in the construction of the Swiss identity narrative are central to Denise Bertschi’s work. From her point of view, being neutral is a complex and fragile state. In State Fiction: Neutral Only on the Outside, she focuses on the role of Switzerland in the neutral military mission to observe the ceasefire between the two Koreas. Following her travels in the region, she immersed herself in the Korea collection of the Library Am Guisanplatz in Bern, consulting images and films captured by Swiss military personnel. She discovered unexpected photographs of everyday life: personnel eating meals and meeting local communities, as well as pictures of the surrounding landscapes. Through a film, a photography book and a series of flags, State Fiction exploits this archival material while simultaneously questioning its limits.
Bertschi continued her exploration for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. Working with historian Daniel Palmieri, she delved into the ICRC archives. There, she discovered objects and first-hand accounts from delegate Jean Courvoisier, who was active in Korea in 1952. These items, which are presented in a display case, document the complex, multifaceted relationship between personal narratives and collective history.

“State Fiction questions the principle of neutrality by exploring the balance and fragility of the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. The creation of this hard border between the two countries is a matter of established fact. But history and visual culture show that, on the question of balance, there is no absolute answer. That’s why I’m interested in exploring a variety of different narratives, each of which necessarily reflects prevailing geopolitical tensions.” – Denise Bertschi (b. 1983, Aarau)

The three installations are presented alongside a sculpture by Olafur Eliasson: a glass sphere, partially silvered and painted, with thin lines cut out along its surface. When viewers peer into the sphere, the geometry is reflected again and again in the mirror finish that coats the inner surface. Geometric lines for horizons takes us into a mysterious world without limits.

A highlight of the Museum’s Year of Mental Health

Through A FRAGILE BALANCE and its Year of Mental Health (2022–2023), which began in September, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum invites us to re-examine our vulnerabilities, touching on a long-standing issue in the humanitarian sector that has risen to the top of the public agenda in recent times. In the forthcoming programming cycle, the Museum will work with academics, artists and humanitarian practitioners to explore ideas and approaches we can apply in our day-to-day lives.

For Pascal Hufschmid, the Museum’s executive director, this approach is a concrete expression of what it means to be a hub serving the local community: “By selecting this theme for the coming year, we are reaffirming our role as an open, welcoming space that brings communities together, invites conversations about mental health and helps break the stigma surrounding it. Above all, it is an exercise in turning ideas into deeds: we want to transform knowledge into action and be an organization that learns with its visitors.”

While it will not be possible to cover every angle, the Museum will seek to explore different avenues and give space to diverse voices on this complex subject, inviting visitors to reflect on the notion of care in what, for many, is an unconventional setting. For its forthcoming programming cycle, the Museum will deliver mental-health first-aid courses for the public, hold a series of events on mental health in the humanitarian sector and beyond, offer “emergency yoga” classes, run guided tours with two experts in emotion, and develop a practical guide on kindness through a co-creation process (for full details, visit redcrossmuseum.ch/en).

New initiative: Community Sundays

As a hub serving the local community, the Museum is once again aligning its actions with its words through the new Community Sundays initiative.

On the first Sunday of each month, visitors will be able to buy additional admission tickets. The Museum will donate these tickets to the Geneva Red Cross, which will then redistribute them among its beneficiaries. In time, the initiative will be expanded to include other local non-profits. By putting admission tickets “on tab” in this way, visitors will be doing their bit to bring culture within everyone’s reach.

On Community Sundays, there will be a wealth of activities and surprises in store for visitors, from yoga classes and special tours to meet-the-author events, local produce stalls and more.

Download the press release

Artist and researcher Denise Bertschi (b. 1983, Aarau)

is a PhD candidate at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and HEAD – Genève. Her work critically examines Switzerland’s relationship with the rest of the world, in particular through collective memory and cultural myths. In 2020, she was awarded the Manor Art Award, and her work has been exhibited in Switzerland and abroad (at the Aargauer Kunsthaus, the Swiss Art Awards, the Landesmuseum Zurich and the Centre Culturel Suisse in Paris).

Nicolas Cilins (b. 1985)

is a conceptual video, performance and installation artist. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in visual arts from the Villa Arson, Nice, and a diploma in performance art from HEAD – Genève. His works, which are often created in collaboration with individuals and communities, have been shown in numerous museums and festivals, including the Berlin International Film Festival, the Moscow Planetarium, the MAC/VAL in Paris, the Museum of Fine Arts Bern and the Bâtie-Festival de Genève.

Nina Haab (b. 1985, Bellinzona)

holds a Master’s degree in visual arts from HEAD – Genève. Her work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Switzerland and beyond, including at the Kunstmuseum Olten, the GAM Torino and the Kunst-Werke Studiolo in Berlin. In 2012, she received a Swiss Art Award in Basel. She was shortlisted for the Prix Mobilière for young Swiss artists in 2019, and she was awarded a grant from the Abraham Hermanjat Foundation in 2020. Haab’s works feature in the collections of the Contemporary Art Fund of the City of Geneva (FMAC), the Fondazione Archivio Fotografico Roberto Donetta in Corzoneso, and the Musée Jenisch in Vevey.

Olafur Eliasson

His works explore the relevance of art in the world at large. Born in 1967, Eliasson grew up in Iceland and Denmark, where he studied from 1989 to 1995 at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. In 1995, he moved to Berlin and founded Studio Olafur Eliasson, which today comprises a large team of craftsmen, architects, archivists, researchers, administrators, cooks, programmers, art historians and specialized technicians. Since 1997, his wide-ranging solo shows – featuring installations, paintings, sculptures, photography and film – have appeared in major museums around the globe.

North Communication

Romaine Travelletti
T +41 79 580 73 36 
romaine@north-communication.ch

Mental health to guide the Museum’s 2022–2023 programming

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum has selected mental health as the guiding theme for the coming year. Alongside numerous partners from the worlds of humanitarian action, culture and research, the Museum will explore ideas and techniques that can be applied in day-to-day life. For its forthcoming programming cycle, it will give carte blanche to various contemporary artists, host co-creation projects, deliver mental-health first-aid courses for the public, hold a series of events on mental health in the humanitarian sector, offer “emergency yoga” classes, and run guided tours with two experts in emotion. In doing so, the Museum will reaffirm its role as an open, welcoming space that invites conversations about mental health, brings communities together and transforms knowledge into action.

The launch of the Year of Mental Health (2022–2023) coincides with the publication of Ten ideas for a feminist and inclusive museum, a compendium of the lessons learned from the Museum’s Year of Gender & Diversity (2021–2022). The document, published online and developed in partnership with Rebecca Amsellem, is the first in a new, aptly named “toolkit” series.
 

The Museum aims to be a space for discussion, debate and creative thinking on what is happening within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the cultural scene and day-to-day life. In keeping with this aim, every year, it selects an important societal issue as the guiding theme for its programming cycle, using its exhibitions, events, publications and online content as a way to learn with and alongside visitors and the general public. “Whenever people are debating important issues in wider society, we should be talking about them at the Museum, too,” said Pascal Hufschmid, executive director of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum.
 

Re-examining our vulnerabilities

What can the Museum do to promote well-being and break the stigma surrounding mental illness? A long-time issue in the humanitarian sector, mental health has risen to the top of the public agenda over the past two years under the combined influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate emergency. The Museum is playing its part by inviting experts from all walks of life to share practical insights. The Year of Mental Health will place the issue of care – for oneself and for others – front and centre. And while it will not be possible to cover every angle, the Museum will seek to explore different avenues and give space to diverse voices on this complex subject.

Full details of the upcoming cycle, which will build on the principles of collective intelligence and collaborative action, are available on the Museum’s website (redcrossmuseum.ch).

Highlights include:

Mental-health first-aid courses

• What: Course  leading to a certificate of completion delivered by ensa, a mental-health first-aid initiative by non-profit organization Pro Mente Sana (ensa swiss, fee-based course, held in French).
• When: Sessions take place over two consecutive Saturdays at the Museum (9 am - 12:30 pm, 1:30 pm - 5 pm). The course will run on 8 and 15 October 2022, 4 and 11 March, and 3 and 10 June 2023.
• Registration: www.ensa.swiss/en/first-aiders/course/

Emergencyoga

• What: A chance to feel present in your body, mind and spirit, and to focus on the here and now. Classes run at the Museum by Donna Williams, Founder of Emergencyoga and Regional Head of Resource Mobilization ICRC (combined offer: class + exhibition visits, suitable for all levels, all classes held in English and French).
• When: The first Sunday of each month at 11 am, starting on 2 October.
• Registration: www.redcrossmuseum.ch/en/ and www.emergencyoga.org

Mental health in the humanitarian sector

• What: Multidisciplinary events led by Valérie Gorin, head of learning at the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies (free entry, in English).
• When: Five 90-minute evening events held at the Museum between December 2022 and June 2023.
• Registration: Opens soon at www.redcrossmuseum.ch/en/

Emotion-focused guided tours of the permanent exhibition

• What: Insights into the Museum’s permanent exhibition from researchers at the Swiss Centre for Affective Sciences (University of Geneva), in conversation with humanitarian practitioners and the public.
• First discussion: 8 December
• Registration on the dedicated page for the event

New initiative: Community Sundays

As a hub serving the local community, the Museum is once again aligning its actions with its words through the new Community Sundays initiative.

On the first Sunday of each month, visitors will be able to buy additional admission tickets. The Museum will donate these tickets to the Geneva Red Cross, which will then redistribute them among its beneficiaries. In time, the initiative will be expanded to include other local non-profits. By putting admission tickets “on tab” in this way, visitors will be doing their bit to bring culture within everyone’s reach.

On Community Sundays, there will be a wealth of activities and surprises in store for visitors, from yoga classes and special tours to meet-the-author events, local produce stalls and more.

The Museum will hold its second Community Sunday on 4 December.

Programme:

• 11 am: yoga class with Donna Williams, Regional Head of Resource Mobilization at the ICRC and founder of emergencyoga. 

Download the press release.
 

North Communication

Romaine Travelletti
T +41 79 580 73 36 
romaine@north-communication.ch

Who cares?
Gender and humanitarian action

From 31 May to 9 October 2022, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum (MICR) will be taking a fresh look at the history of humanitarian action through the lens of gender in an exhibition called Who cares? This critical exploration of stereotypes in representations of humanitarianism aims to shed light on the complex lived experience of humanitarian workers past and present, and the diverse paths that brought them there. The exhibition is the result of a unique partnership between the MICR and the University of Geneva, with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation. An open day will be held on Saturday, 4 June, to mark the show’s opening.
 

• Over 5 years of research
• More than 300 objects
• About twenty institutional and private lenders
• About twenty academic case studies supported by the research of our partner University of Geneva

“Take care” is a deceptively simple phrase that evokes the principle of humanity and underpins all humanitarian action. In Who cares?, the MICR’s latest exhibition, a question that is often intended derisively is instead an earnest enquiry into who tends to people’s wounds and works to meet their needs. Who actually cares, in every sense of the word?

WHO CARES?, produced in partnership with the Institute for Ethics, History and the Humanities at the University of Geneva, invites visitors to consider humanitarian action through the lens of gender and diversity. The exhibition offers a fresh look at the experience of people who have been largely overlooked by history and encourages visitors to re-examine their own perceptions of humanitarian workers and of those who receive care, through a broad selection of objects and accounts that have been assembled and presented together for the first time.

Restoring forgotten figures in humanitarian history

Who embodies the world of care? In Western visual history, the provider of care has often been accorded characteristics perceived as feminine, such as devotion, attentiveness, sympathy, empathy and compassion. Nurses are potent symbols of the provision of relief and healing, and the nurse seated at a wounded soldier’s bedside became a prevalent stereotype starting in the late 19th century. However, this maternal or angelic imagining of the female humanitarian has all too often been restricted to white, Western women from privileged backgrounds.

This new exhibition draws from the history of medicine and gender, visual culture and the ethics of care to reveal recurring stereotypes in how humanitarians are represented, often based on rigid gender roles. Such representations, which divorce action and leadership from care and compassion, limit our understanding of humanitarians’ lived experience and fail to account for the complexity of their work.

WHO CARES? provides keys to understanding how the history of humanitarian action has largely been written from a male point of view. But history can also be a tool for building a more inclusive and, thus, democratic society. As researchers Dolores Martín Moruno, Brenda Lynn Edgar and Marie Leyder at the University of Geneva’s Institute for Ethics, History and the Humanities note: “WHO CARES? aims to re-examine the history of humanitarian action by focusing on how those providing care have been rendered invisible. Whether in terms of their lived experience, knowledge and technical know-how, or in terms of the power dynamics at play, these issues get to the heart of contemporary social questions. Debates around gender, ethnicity, class and sexual orientation are more ubiquitous than ever.”

That deconstructive approach underpins the exhibition’s constellation-style layout. For MICR curators Claire FitzGerald and Elisa Rusca, the exhibition “is an ecosystem made up of a large number of stories and objects – from textiles and medical instruments to photographs and film footage – that together embody the rich variety of care providers’ experience and the diversity of humanitarian work. We have created a new form of multi-layered exhibition space that invites visitors to step away from dominant preconceptions and open themselves up to other points of view.”

Advancing research and sharing it with the general public

WHO CARES? is supported by a grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation’s Agora project, which aims to share research with the public. Dialogue, debate and public participation are given pride of place in the exhibition, which features spaces for reading and reflection.

Produced in partnership with the University of Geneva, WHO CARES? is emblematic of changes that began at the Museum before the pandemic, as the MICR strives to foster communication among the worlds of humanitarianism, culture and research, for the benefit of a wide audience.

The project also provides a new perspective on the Museum’s permanent exhibition. A series of questions have been added to the displays to encourage visitors to consider The Humanitarian Adventure through the lens of gender – questions to which WHO CARES? provides possible answers.

The MICR is deeply invested in including diverse voices in its programming as a way of better reflecting sea changes not only within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement but also in the cultural sphere and in everyday life. Who cares? was developed as part of the Museum’s first annual theme, Gender and Diversity, launched in September 2021.

In the words of the MICR’s director, Pascal Hufschmid: “Sharing cutting-edge, gender-oriented research on humanitarian action, conducted right here in Geneva, in an accessible and inclusive manner means inviting humanitarian workers and the general public to re-examine the history of humanitarianism and how it is represented today.”
 

Who cares? This question, often intended derisively, can be interpreted in at least two other ways. Who feels genuinely affected and moved by a particular issue? And who provides care to others by working to meet their needs?

Here, the question “who cares?” and its various meanings are an invitation to take a fresh look at the history of humanitarian action and how it is represented today. Rigid gender roles are commonplace, with men associated with action and leadership while women supply compassion and care. Yet those stereotypes are belied across time by the complexity of humanitarian work and the experience of those engaged in it.

By presenting a broad selection of objects and little-known accounts spanning more than a century, this exhibition invites us to consider humanitarian action in all its diversity. Inspired by social justice movements seeking to counter racial and sexual discrimination, it shines a spotlight on figures who have long been excluded from humanitarian history.

Together – informed by the latest developments in the history of knowledge, health care, gender and emotions as well as visual and material culture studies – we can all contribute to a paradigm shift.

WHO CARES? is a co-production of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum and the University of Geneva, with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation.
 

• Who makes the effort to take care of others?
• What can we do to meet people’s needs?
• What methods and tools – objects, actions or emotions – can we use to provide care?
• “Everything we do to maintain, continue and repair our world so that we can live in it as well as possible.”

North Communication

Romaine Travelletti
Tel. +41 79 580 73 36
romaine@north-communication.ch

TO HEAL A WORLD
160 Years of Photography from the Collections of the Red Cross

For its latest exhibition, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum (MICR) will tap into a unique yet little-known photographic heritage to explore humanitarian imagery and how it is perceived. TO HEAL A WORLD, scheduled to run from 16 November 2021 to 24 April 2022, will feature over 600 photographs drawn from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement collections. To mark the opening, the MICR will hold an open day on Saturday, 20 November.

From 16 November 2021 to 24 April 2022 at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum,
from 4 July to 25 September 2022 at the Rencontres internationales de la photographie d'Arles.

• over 600 photographs
• 200 photographers
• 4 collections
• 13 agencies
• 18 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies

Humanitarian images entered people’s daily lives over a century ago and are now a fixture in today’s news. Such images often convey a sense of immediacy and certainty, setting a scene that allows for only one interpretation. Viewers think they fully understand the event in question without considering what lies just outside the frame. But the reality on the ground is always more complex than its representation, which is by nature merely a fragment.

Tapping into a rich photographic heritage

TO HEAL A WORLD presents, in a variety of ways, more than 600 images dating from 1850 to the present. They include both public images used to communicate about humanitarian crises and more confidential ones, once reserved for internal use.

The works were carefully selected over the course of two years from a highly diverse yet little-known corpus of photos: the collections of the MICR, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The broad scope of perspectives on display alerts viewers to the complexity of humanitarian work beyond the lens. A number of images were captured by well-known photographers – such as Werner Bischof, Susan Meiselas and Henri Cartier-Bresson from Magnum Photos agency – while others are the work of people employed by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement or people directly affected by crises. The exhibition ends with a selection of personal photographs collected from migrants by Alexis Cordesse.

TO HEAL A WORLD was developed in association with the Rencontres d’Arles, an annual photography festival that will host the exhibition in 2022.

New ways of interpreting newsworthy images

TO HEAL A WORLD delivers a methodical analysis of the codes that underpin humanitarian imagery. Visitors are encouraged to view each image with a critical eye: where was it taken, what story does it tell, and what does it not show? In exploring the intentionality behind each work, the exhibition sets out a visual grammar of humanitarian action that can help to unlock meaning.

For Nathalie Herschdorfer, the exhibition curator, TO HEAL A WORLD underscores the utilitarian role of photography and what these images have to say about the modern era: “Much of what we know about the past, about history, has come to us through written texts. Yet we cannot trace the history of humanitarian action without taking into account the history of photography itself. The ICRC was founded in 1864, only 25 years after the invention of photography in 1839 – their destinies are inextricably linked. Today more than ever, humanitarian action without imagery is unthinkable.”

The MICR asks a fundamental question: how does humanitarian action concern all of us, here and now? This exhibition points to one possible answer. For Pascal Hufschmid, Executive Director of the MICR, who conceived the exhibition: “TO HEAL A WORLD is designed to shine a light on a rich photographic heritage at the heart of international Geneva. The exhibition prompts us to reconsider how we look at images of the conflicts and natural disasters that we see every day in the news. In the humanitarian sphere, an image is never worth a thousand words.”

Curation

Nathalie Herschorfer
 

Direction

Pascal Hufschmid
 

Scenography

Kläfiger muséographie
 

Visual Identity

Notter & Vigne
 

The exhibition is a joint production by the MICR and the Rencontres d’Arles photography festival. The works presented here are from the collections of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum (MICR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The exhibition received funding from the Swiss Confederation, the Republic and Canton of Geneva and the City of Geneva.

Humanitarian action has been represented in photographs for nearly 160 years. Ever since the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was founded in 1863, photography – invented only a few decades earlier, in 1839 – has served to document the situation on the ground and reveal the human dramas that unfold there. The power of images is undeniable. Whether taken by humanitarian workers or professionals sent into the field, photos play a key role in raising funds, recruiting volunteers and keeping the public informed.

To HEAL A WORLD lifts the veil on the vast photography collections held by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The collections include both public images intended for mass communication and confidential ones for internal use. Big names from the prestigious Magnum Photos agency can be found alongside countless anonymous photo-takers. All aim to draw attention and spark emotion by revealing the suffering of the innocent: refugees, prisoners of war and other people in distress.

Photographs serve to inform, but they also affect how we understand the events they depict. They make us think we understand a situation, forgetting what might lie just outside the frame and the filters used on the image. How we interpret them depends on culture, context and labelling. The human gaze, whether the photographer’s or the viewer’s, is never neutral. Moreover, a photograph’s meaning can change over the years. What was considered indisputable at one time may not be so self-evident today.

By guiding us through a unique historical collection, To HEAL A WORLD encourages us to reflect on how we perceive humanitarian imagery – both past and present.

• Rallying
• Showing
• Bearing witness
• Reassessing
• Sharing

North Communication

Romaine Travelletti
Tel. +41 79 580 73 36
romaine@north-communication.ch