TW: some graphic language & imagery
Just over a week ago, my cousin and I had planned to attend the Southbank Centre's WOW Festival but were unable to get tickets on time. It was a lovely (and rare) sunny Saturday and we still wanted to take the opportunity to use that day productively. After searching online for a little while, we decided to visit two exhibitions; 'Human Rights Human Wrongs' at The Photographers' Gallery and 'Staying Power' at the V&A. As usual, I relied on capturing the day with my little iPhone.
Approximately 10 minutes after entering the 'Human Rights Human Wrongs' exhibition, which was already surprisingly crowded, a curator from the gallery entered with many more people to give a detailed tour on what was on display. Initially, my cousin and I found this to be quite inconvenient, until we realised that her group was not exclusive and we were also able to join. Our arrival was actually very well timed because we got the unexpected chance to learn far more information about the images on display, the concept of the exhibition and why it was curated in such a way.
The exhibition focuses on several different inhumane acts that had occurred between 1945 and the early 1990s; including wars, jail breaks, conflicts, racism and colonisation. It forces the viewer to face how cruel humankind has been and also continues to be. We ended up being there for several hours and decided to visit both floors of the exhibition again once the tour was over, as we didn't get to see all the remarkable (albeit occasionally upsetting) photographs in detail, due to the tour group being so large. While doing so, we discussed the many privileges we take for granted today and the many aspects of life we still lack freedom. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to visit the V&A but now we have another exciting and potentially inspiring exhibition to look forward to.
