In the realm of photojournalism, James Nachtwey is a name with resonance and significance. He has traversed the globe, documenting the most pressing issues of our time with a lens that captures the essence of human suffering and resilience. 

With a career spanning over four decades, Nachtwey has dedicated his life to bearing witness to some of the world’s most significant and harrowing events and has covered nearly every armed conflict in the world. His evocative and heart-wrenching photographs have not only garnered global recognition, but have also been a catalyst for social change.

Recently, Thailand has had the privilege of hosting a captivating exhibition of his work in ‘James Nachtwey: Memoria’, which serves as a poignant reminder of the power of photography in bringing about social change.

The ‘James Nachtwey: Memoria’ exhibition, a large-scale retrospective by James, has been organised by The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, with support from The Embassy of the United States of America in Thailand. One hundred and twenty-six photographs are on display.

Each photograph in this exhibition represents a fragment of a memory, captured within the continuum of the events Nachtwey experienced. Each image was intended to reach a mass audience during when these events were taking place, as a way of raising public consciousness; one element amongst many in the process of change.

He has presented numerous solo exhibitions in New York, Paris, Milan and Stockholm. This is his first exhibition in Thailand and the Asia Pacific region.

Naphat Ratanasakdi, Secretary of The Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, said that “James Nachtwey shows the truth of the event with very hard,  depressing, and aggressive photos. The photos of James Nachtwey have a lot of photogenic sense, they have a lot of aesthetics in his works. So, this is why James Nachtwey’s photos are very special and stand out.”

One of the most moving sections of the exhibition showcases Nachtwey’s extensive documenting of global conflicts. His lens has captured the devastation of war in Bosnia, the brutality of apartheid in South Africa, the terror of the siege of Kabul, the September 11th attacks in New York City and war in Iraq, among many other tragic events.

These images not only chronicle the horrors of conflict, but also convey the resilience, courage and hope that persist amidst the darkness.

Naphat said that “I became quite attached to the Agent Orange section, which are the photos from the Vietnam War. I think this is because of the result of the war and the side effects of the war that affected a lot of people, not only on that generation themselves, but the generation after and after and after. For generations, I think it has had quite an impact.”

“This exhibition will show you what actually happens around the world and you can you can see how lucky we are and what we should do to prevent that kind of event from happening again“, he added.

Don’t miss the opportunity to broaden your perspective and see James Nachtwey’s photos with your own eyes at ‘James Nachtwey: Memoria’, until November 26th, 2023 from 10am to 8pm, at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

By Kitipat Chuensukjit