7th Laureate of the Carmignac Photojournalism Award: Libya: A Human Marketplace

Fondation Carmignac is pleased to announce the exhibition dedicated to the 7th Laureate of the Carmignac Photojournalism Award, Narciso Contreras, on the theme of Libya.

This report narrates the thoughts and observations of the Mexican photographer as he travels through and critically engages with the complex tribal society of post-Gaddafi Libya from February to June 2016, documenting the brutal reality of human trafficking.

Contreras lays bare an unfolding humanitarian crisis in which illegal migrants, refugees and asylum seekers are at the mercy of militias who exploit them for financial gain. Held in detention centres for illegal migrants, they are subjected to inhumane conditions.

Throughout this report, Contreras weaves a compelling narrative to show how, instead of being a place of transit for migrants on their way to Europe, Libya has actually become a trafficking market where people are bought and sold on a daily basis.

Narciso Contreras provides us with a glimpse of the complex and horrifying context migrants are faced with.

In 2009, the Fondation Carmignac launched the Carmignac Photojournalism Award with the aim to support, each year, a photojournalist in undertaking a photographic and investigative assignment exploring a theme or an area of the world at the centre of geostrategic conflicts. Selected by an international jury, the Laureate receives 50,000 EUR that enable him/her to spend time into the field, as well as a fully-financed monograph and a touring exhibition of the project.

Created in 2000 by Edouard Carmignac and directed by Gaïa Donzet, the Fondation Carmignac has three strands: the corporate collection comprising nearly 250 contemporary works of art, the annual Carmignac Photojournalism Award led by Emeric Glayse, and the Foundation's project to open an exhibition space and a sculpture park to the public on the preserved site of Porquerolles (Var). Edouard Carmignac’s desire to share his passion for contemporary art, promote freedom of expression and increase awareness of contemporary world issues led him to the creation of this Foundation.

Upcoming Carmignac Photojournalism Award exhibition
Saatchi Gallery, London
May 16–June 16, 2017

Contact
Valentine Dolla, Communication Manager
valentine.dolla@carmignac.com