Reflecting on the Ethics and Aesthetics of Atrocity Photography
JIE WEN
“ There are many uses of the innumerable opportunities a modern life supplies for regarding – at a distance , through the medium of photography – other people ’ s pain .” ( Sontag , 2004 , p . 11 ). Since the invention of the camera , shocking photographs of death , injury , and of people in various states of distress , terror , and vulnerability have arguably become ubiquitous ( Dean , 2015 , p . 239 ). Yet , these harrowing images can “ haunt us ” ( Sontag , 2003 , p . 80 ) not only because of the psychological impact of witnessing pain and violence , but also possibly because of the visual appeal in the aesthetic style of the photographs . Thus , by drawing on the theoretical perspectives of photographs of atrocities by Sontag and other scholars , as well as examining the selected photograph , this essay will explore the ways in which the photographer presents atrocity and human suffering and how it provokes an emotional response from the viewer , while discussing the aesthetic , ethical and political complexities involved in photographic images of contemporary society .
Fig 1 : Sabastião Salgado - Region of Lake Faguibine , Mali , Africa 1985
The photograph in figure 1 which documents a time when Africa underwent a drought of catastrophic magnitude , is one of the iconic works taken by Sebastião Salgado who had spent years “ capturing the story of migration , the migrant crisis , individual heart-stopping moments in the never-ending migration and exile of humans ” ( Public Delivery , 2019 ). Drought , a disaster that has wreaked havoc on humanity ( Masih et al ., 2014 , p . 3636 ), results in endless horrors of starvation , health problems , and loss of life gripping the land . Salgado is one of the world ’ s best-known black and white documentary photographers whose projects always delve into social issues such as inequality , labour , and migration ( Singer , 2010 , p . 41 ). Here , the photograph of a mother leading her children towards a desolate abyss presents a poignant visual representation of nomads on a journey in the hope of finding food and shelter . In addition , this piece was initially published in Salgado ’ s book Sahel : The End of the Road ( Salgado , 2004 ) – a photography collection of the loss and misery during the time of famine . Intense emotional responses are likely to be evoked when spectators view these works . What ’ s more , Campbell ( 2012 , p . 79 ) argues that famine is a political atrocity because it is not only natural factors that lead to food crises but also political conflicts . Salgado believes that “ everything that happens in the world must be shown and people around the world must have an idea of what ’ s happening to the other people around the world ” ( Light and Tremain , 2010 , p . 111 ). Therefore , Salgado , a photographer who Sontag described as specialising in
JIE WEN
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