A journey through the most serious emergencies of our time. A reflection on the thin line that separates indifference from action, marking the boundary between those who survive and those who are forgotten.
Over the past five years, alongside the operators of INTERSOS, photographers Alessio Romenzi and Christian Tasso have documented the most serious humanitarian crises of our time through reportage carried out in Lebanon, Iraq, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Chad.
The photographic gaze of Alessio Romenzi and Christian Tasso becomes a witness to the daily challenge of bringing aid to those who need it most, adopting an empathetic approach that chooses to stand alongside the people portrayed in order to tell their most vulnerable lives and stories. In Lebanon, the images document the risks of social marginalization caused by the severe economic crisis and the consequences of Israel's recent bombings; in Iraq, they observe the wounds that still mark the country following the conflict with ISIS. The route continues in Ukraine, where the photographers depict the everyday lives of displaced people close to the front line, and in Afghanistan, where they bear witness to the profound humanitarian and health emergency that re-emerged with the return of the Taliban, with particular attention to the impact on women and children. Finally, in Nigeria and Chad, the shots delve into the heart of the crisis in the Lake Chad basin, among the devastation of climate change and the suffering caused by a conflict lasting more than a decade with local armed groups.
The Thin Line is the fine line that defines the space of humanitarian action. That invisible boundary which, in the most extreme emergencies, separates those who survive from those who perish, those who find refuge from those who remain exposed, those who get a second chance from those who are forgotten. It is a line that today divides the fate of hundreds of millions of people from that of the rest of the world, but it is also the line that separates indifference from action and abandonment from hope. Around it take shape the fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality that guide, every day, the work of operators in the field.
The exhibition features a special focus on the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and on the interventions carried out in the country thanks to the support of the European Union. This in-depth look comes to life through the stories and images collected for INTERSOS by Hasib Hazinyar, accompanied by an infographic signed by artist and designer Federica Fragapane.
Alessio Romenzi is an Italian photographer who has been documenting humanitarian crises and conflicts around the world for over fifteen years. After a long stay in the Middle East, where he covered for major international publications the events linked to the Arab Spring and the subsequent regional crises, he expanded his scope to North Africa and Eastern Europe, also covering the war in Ukraine. His work centers on the civilian population, telling the drama of conflicts through the direct experience of the people who live them.
Christian Tasso is an Italian photographer and visual artist who, for over twenty years, has developed an artistic investigation ranging from documentary photography to participatory practices and constructed imagery, guided by a constant attention to the poetic dimension of the real. With experience gained in over thirty countries and long stays in Geneva and New York, he has consolidated a broad-ranging research on disability, migration, social change and the bond between humans and the environment. His works have been presented at important international institutions such as the UN offices in Geneva and New York, the World Bank in Washington and the Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan. Recently he has focused his attention on central Italy, a territory in which he explores the interconnections between memory, landscape and the perception of reality.
INTERSOS is an international humanitarian organization, born in Italy, that operates on the front line in contexts of war, violence, extreme poverty, natural or human-made disasters. It is on the front line with emergency interventions in 20 countries around the world, in Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia.