WORLD MONUMENTS FUND & MAGNUM FOUNDATION PRESENT HERITAGE IN FOCUS AT PARIS PHOTO 2024

The exhibition will feature selected works from four emerging photographers and highlight local communities from Peru, Ghana, Indonesia, and Mexico

August 1, 2024 – World Monuments Fund (WMF) and Magnum Foundation are excited to debut Heritage in Focus, a special exhibition at this year’s Paris Photo, held from November 7th to 10th. The exhibition is part of an innovative new fellowship led by the two organizations that offers emerging photographers the opportunity to document historic places and their stewards at 11 cultural heritage sites included on the 2022 World Monuments Watch, a biennial, nomination-based program that connects local heritage preservation efforts to global awareness and action.

The exhibition is curated by Magnum Foundation Executive Director and former curator for the International Center of Photography, Kristen Lubben, and will feature selected works from four photographers: Fransisca Angela, Eric Gyamfi, Yael Martínez, and Víctor Zea (in partnership with Diego López Calvín).

• La Uma / Our Home by Fransisca Angela (Sumba Island, Indonesia): Angela’s portfolio portrays the resilience of the people of Wainyapu Village on Sumba Island, Indonesia, after a devastating fire in 2022 that destroyed 30 houses. Angela captures the essence of village life, marked by events like the sowing season and the appearance of sea worms, as well as their deep connection to their ancestors through melodies and rituals. Her images reveal how outdoor spaces serve as extensions of their homes, reflecting the unique family structures and cultural identity of the Sumbanese people
   
• Fihankra: Exploring Traditional Asante Architecture by Eric Gyamfi (Asante Shrines, Ghana): Gyamfi highlights the distinctive architectural and cultural heritage of Ghana’s Asante people via an exploration of Asante shrines. Gyamfi’s images capture the skillfulness of traditional building techniques, showcasing functional and sustainable structures that harmonize with local climate and cultural values. His work also delves into the community maintenance of these buildings, many of which date back to the 1800s and are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
   
• Mixcóatl Cloud Serpent (Serpiente de Nube) by Yael Martínez (Teotihuacan, Mexico): Martínez’s project explores the layers of history, culture and identity at the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacan. By reflecting on the accumulation of lives, stones, and ancestral connections, Martínez captures the profound significance of this site as a political-religious ceremonial center. His images connect the past with the present, questioning how contemporary societal and personal experiences shape our understanding and habitation of Teotihuacan today.
   
• The Legacy of the Stone by Víctor Zea & Diego López Calvín (Yanacancha, Peru): Using solarigraphs created with pinhole cameras over as many as six months, Zea and co-author Diego López Calvín capture the landscape and structures that have enabled the residents of Yanacancha-Huaquis Cultural Landscape, Peru, to control the water supply since pre-Inca times. His visual essay explores the community’s relationship with their ancestral territory, illustrating how ancient technology fosters resilience to climate change. Through these images, Zea seeks to recover the past to build a sustainable future for the Miraflores community.

“Communities and their cherished places are deeply intertwined,” said Bénédicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of World Monuments Fund. “Our ambitious partnership with Magnum Foundation seeks to capture this bond through the immediacy of photography. These powerful images not only creatively convey the unique stories of each site but also address the broader environmental and social challenges threatening our global heritage.”

“We are thrilled to present Heritage in Focus, which uses creative visual storytelling to highlight the essential role that cultural heritage plays in communities,” said Kristen Lubben, Executive Director of Magnum Foundation. “This collaboration with World Monuments Fund has allowed us to support and showcase local photographers who offer nuanced perspectives on these significant sites. We are proud to partner with WMF to amplify their voices and nurture emerging talent.”

In addition to the exhibition, Skira will publish a catalog of the works, featuring all 11 projects from this collaboration. Edited by Elizabeth Krist, former photo editor of National Geographic and founding member of the Visual Thinking Collective, this publication will be available in October. The catalogue, which will be distributed in English and French across the US, Canada, UK, France, Belgium, and Switzerland, will serve as a lasting tribute to the photographers’ work and the rich stories of the 2022 World Monuments Watch sites. Furthermore, each project will be showcased in a series of online Google Arts & Culture exhibits curated by the artists, providing a virtual window into these extraordinary sites and their stories. The stories will be released later this year. The first in the series can be viewed here.

The complete list of artists and sites includes: Fransisca Angela, Sumba Island, Indonesia; Adrien Bitibaly, La Maison du Peuple, Burkina Faso; Soumya Sankar Bose, Tiretta Bazaar, India; Eric Gyamfi, Asante Traditional Buildings, Ghana; Elsie Haddad, Historic Buildings of Beirut, Lebanon; Morena Pérez Joachin, Lamanai, Belize; Yael Martínez, Teotihuacan, Mexico; Tahila Moss, Garcia Pasture, USA; Tace Stevens, Kinchela Aboriginal Boys Training Home, Australia; Prasiit Sthapit and Shristi Shrestha, Hitis (Traditional Water Fountains) of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal; and Víctor Zea and Diego López Calvín, Yanacancha-Huaquis Cultural Landscape, Peru.

Heritage in Focus has been made possible, in part, by support from Nora McNeely Hurley and Manitou Fund; Donna Perret Rosen; Lorna B. Goodman; The Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust; and Monika McLennan.

About World Monuments Fund:
World Monuments Fund is the leading independent organization devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places to enrich lives and build mutual understanding. Since 1965, WMF has raised $300 million to support more than 700 diverse cultural heritage sites across 112 countries.  For more than 55 years, its highly skilled experts have applied proven and effective techniques to preserve important architectural and cultural heritage sites around the globe. Through the World Monuments Watch—a biennial, nomination-based program—WMF uses cultural heritage conservation to empower communities and improve human well-being. In partnership with local communities, funders, and governments, WMF seeks to inspire an enduring commitment to stewardship for future generations. Headquartered in New York City, the organization has offices and affiliates worldwide.

Visit www.wmf.org for more information, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Magnum Foundation:
Magnum Foundation expands creativity and diversity in visual storytelling, activating new audiences and ideas through the innovative use of images. Through grants, mentorship, and creative collaborations, we partner with socially engaged imagemakers exploring new models for storytelling. Since our founding in 2007 by members of the Magnum Photos cooperative, we have made more than 600 direct grants to visual storytellers from over 80 countries.

Visit www.magnumfoundation.org for more information.
 

Media Contact:
Keaton Ramjit, kramjit@wmf.org