Juan Medina.

The most powerful photo-essay I saw at last years Visa Pour L'Image Festival wasnt any exhibit on the walls, but a slideshow on the terrible suffering of African illegal immigrants attempting to get to Europe, taken by Juan Medina, a Reuters photographer based in the Canary Islands.

The images can now be seen in the exhibition 'Cruel Sea' at the Host Gallery in London.

Cannily, they're exhibiting his work alongside another exhibit of images by Arthur Fellig, more commonly known by his nom-de-snap...Weegee.

Weegee has always been a firm favourite of mine, showing how often derided and undervalued daily press photography can transcend it's restrictions in the hands of a talented and driven photographer, so these two exhibits complement each other very well.

Comments

[Sean]

I was also struck by Medina's work. Quite focused on the tragic results of migration.

Dispatches recently ran a documentary by Sorious Samura who followed the African migrant route all the way to the U.K. He even smuggled himself back to England in the back of a truck, in order to get a real feel for the plight of migrants. Rivetting.

http://www.insightnewstv.com/illegals/