Beijing China, 1965. © Marc Riboud.

Throughout time, many Western photographers have been fascinated with photographing Eastern culture. French photographer Marc Riboud is no exception. The former Magnum photographer has been training his lens on cultures around the world during his travels throughout the past six decades. An exhibition of his work, which opened January 13 in Dubai, features 27 images from his travel portfolio taken between the western border of the “Far East,” Morocco, and the eastern border, China. The exhibition is on display at The Empty Quarter gallery through February 13.

– Lindsay Comstock

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© David Goldman. Migrant worker, Bangladesh, 2012.

During the months of November and December 2012, photographer David Goldman traveled to India and Bangladesh to photograph on assignment for the United Nations Trust Fund To End Violence Against Women annual report. These images, taken from the series, convey the lives of  those he met while visiting four beneficiaries of the fund: the Lawyer’s Collective in Delhi, which works to protect women’s rights; the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust in Bangalore that works to help women report abuse and educates about HIV and who took him to photograph some of the women with whom they work, sex workers known as Devadasi; the Adavasi (an aboriginal Indian population) in Ranchi who have struggled with issues of acceptance and equality; and the migrant workers of Dhaka, Bangladesh who have been leaving the country in droves because of poor working conditions.

–Lindsay Comstock

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© Nick Frank

Many of Munich’s subway stations have distinctive architectural personalities, and local photographer Nick Frank brings some out in his striking series called Subway. Shooting the empty stations during off-peak hours, he trains his camera on vanishing points, and accentuates the bold colors, lines, graphics, and architectural details. The result is a collection of  dramatic, futuristic spaces that most of us Munich subway riders don’t see–at least not quite like this–but will certainly recognize. Frank hopes to take the project beyond Munich, photographing subway stations all over the world that make the most compelling visual backdrops to the everyday drama that occurs at much busier times of day. More of Frank’s subway images are at http://www.indiegogo.com/subways/. (more…)

© Nick Hannes

For a work-in-progress called ‘Projet Méditerranée,’ Belgian photographer Nick Hannes has been traveling through the  20 nations that border the Mediterranean Sea. “The idea is to document the vast area that once was the Roman Empire,” he explains. “Within this historical framework I focus on different contemporary issues, such as migration and cultural exchange between the three continents (Europe, Africa, Asia), the impact of mass tourism on the natural landscapes, urbanization, conflicts and territorial disputes.”

While photographing petrol stations in Greece that have been abandoned in the wake of the European financial crisis, Hannes came upon a Shell station that had been set up for the owner’s wedding party. The owner invited him to return that evening to take photos. Hannes intended to spend half an hour. “But you know how good parties evolve,” he says. “It was 3 am when I left.”

He recounts, “A family member said to me, ‘This is how we respond to a crisis. Please show these pictures to [German chancellor Angela] Merkel. A Greek keeps on laughing and celebrating, even when his money is being taken away.’ ” www.nickhannes.be

© Titus Simoens

The fifth annual Summershow at Foto8 kicked off July 7, highlighting the work of 159 artists from around the globe. Dubbed the “greatest photography spectacle in London,” images hang in the “Salon de Photographie” and range in subject matter, exploring everything from newsworthy events, including the riots in London and the conflict in Libya, to personal moments in a photographer’s life, but share the common theme that they examine events that occurred over the past year. Aside from being included in the show, the photographers competed for two awards: The Best in Show award, which was given to photographer Titus Simoens (for the image above) and included a $3, 100 prize, and The Peoples Favorite award, which is voted on by the show’s attendees and announced on the final day. The event will run through August 18.

- Captions courtesy Foto 8.

Simoens image above is part of a series that focuses on a boarding school in Ostend, Belgium which undertakes children suffering from behavioral problems and unstable homes.

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