Photographer Rena Effendi (Baku, 1977) creates work that is an eloquent testimony to human dignity and resilience. Rena Effendi is honoured with a 2011 Prince Claus Award ‘for her remarkable portraits of individual lived experiences in zones of silence, for documenting the social impact of rampant, profit-driven ‘development’ and for raising awareness of social realities in contexts that require developmental support.’
The exhibition Lives Behind follows Effendi’s ten-year journey of documenting the struggles and small triumphs of people, mainly living in the countries of the former Soviet Union. Yet the story of the exhibition transcends geographical borders to become a collective portrait of people who have survived isolation, ruin and devastating pollution. Somehow they are maintaining an independent existence despite being caught between an unstable past and a frightening future. Lives Behind provides photographic proof that too many people are stranded in the wake of industrial development, expansion and capitalism.
The exhibition can be visited from 13 December 2011 till 9 March 2012 on Mondays till Fridays from 10.00 hrs till 17.00 hrs in the Prince Claus Fund Gallery, Herengracht 603 in Amsterdam.
The exhibition can be visited from 13 December 2011 till 9 March 2012 on Mondays till Fridays from 10.00 hrs till 17.00 hrs in the Prince Claus Fund Gallery, Herengracht 603 in Amsterdam.
