Norges nye fotofestival Oslo fotofest (OFF) går av stabelen i Konserthuset denne helga. Foredragsholdere er fotografer fra bildebyrået VII Photo og lørdag kveld er det duket for John Stanmeyer og Donald Weber.
Opplegget har mye til felles med Dokument-festivalen, men Oslo fotofest tar altså sikte på å fylle Konserthuset i Oslo i stedet for Litteraturhuset. Arrangørene er da også Dokfoto/Pressefotografenes klubb, sammen med og Bilder Nordic School of Photography. Oslo fotofest er et nytt initiativ for å skape en samlingsarena for fotografi i Oslo. Dagspass selges i døra for 200 kroner.
Fotografens verden er i konstant forandring. Gjennom syv fotografer fra VII-Photo vil publikum oppleve hvordan byråets natur har skiftet fra krise, krig og konflikt til en mer sammensatt natur.
På dagtid under festivalen vil seks av gjestefotografene arbeide med fem klasser fra Bilder Nordic og en fotograf med Fotojournalistutdanningen ved Høgskolen i Oslo. På festivalens siste dag vil det bli vist utdrag fra disse arbeidene.
Oslo fotofest arrangeres i samarbeid med Fritt Ord og Canon Norge.
Om fotografene:
JOHN STANMEYER
John Stanmeyer, born in Illinois, is a founding member of VII photo agency. Living in the Far East for over twelve years, Stanmeyer has witnessed throughout that time nearly every major historical event in Asia, photographing the rapid changes taking place throughout the entire region. Stanmeyer’s focus is on social injustices, eradication of global poverty, human rights and raising awareness for the sustaining vanishing cultures. Working regularly for National Geographic Magazine, on contract with Time Magazine for over ten years and photographing for numerous other global publications, Stanmeyer has been the recipient of numerous honors.
DONALD WEBER
Donald freelanced for the international press in places as diverse as Africa, Eastern Europe, Russia and South America before taking aim at the bigger picture: the growth of insoluble World Power. He has since devoted himself to the study of how Power deploys an all-encompassing theater for its subjects; what he records is its secret collaboration with both masters and victims. Weber’s photography projects have been exhibited at festivals and galleries worldwide and his photographs are in the permanent collection of the Portland Museum of Art and the Museum of Memory and Tolerance in Mexico City.
RON HAVIV
Award-winning photojournalist Ron Haviv has produced images of conflict and humanitarian crises that have made headlines from around the world since the end of the Cold War. Numerous museums and galleries have featured his work, including The Louvre, United Nations, and the council on Foreign Relations. A co-founder of the photo agency VII, his work is published by magazines worldwide. He has published two critically acclaimed collections of his photography – Blood and Honey: A Balkan War Journal and Afghanistan: On the Road to Kabul.
