Advertisement

“Vía PanAm”: Migration in the Americas

Why do people migrate? Where to and for what reasons? What is the fate of the different indigenous populations in the Americas? In “Vía PanAm,” Kadir van Lohuizen investigates the roots of migration in the Americas, a phenomenon that is as old as humanity but is increasingly portrayed as a new threat to the Western world.

“Vía PanAm follows van Lohuizen’s footsteps from the very south of Chile to the very north of Alaska. Travelling almost 40,000 km overland along the Pan-American Highway and crossing through 15 countries, van Lohuizen visualized the stories of the communities, regions and societies he encountered. His work reflects a diverse range of migration experiences, both historic and contemporary. The photo stories reflect the complexity of migration — the diverse motivations for coming and going; the struggles and successes; the economic, political, social and environmental contexts; as well as intimate moments and personal stories, some touching upon current issues, some on topics long forgotten but unresolved.



The “Vía PanAm” exhibition is a combination of an audio-visual installation and prints. Together they form a spatial environment in which multimedia photo stories and road videos immerse the audience in the surroundings and stories of the project. The exhibition has been shown in Chile, Costa Rica, Luxemburg and the Netherlands. After the Bronx Documentary Center in New York, the show will be touring in Guatemala and Honduras in late 2015 and early 2016. The project has been nominated for several awards in the Netherlands among them the Canon Zilveren Camera Award 2012 and 2013, the Dutch Doc Award 2013 and the Best Dutch Book Designs 2013.



Kadir van Lohuizen (b. 1963) has covered conflicts in Africa and elsewhere but is probably best known for his projects on the seven rivers of the world, the diamond industry, “Vía PanAm and his investigations into the human consequences of rising sea levels. He has received numerous prizes, including two World Press Photo awards. In September 2007, he and 10 others founded the NOOR agency, a collective of photojournalists and documentarians. He became a member of the supervisory board of World Press Photo in 2008. To date, he has published four photo books, including “Diamond Matters,” “Aderen” and “Vía PanAm.”

Photographs by Kadir van Lohuizen/NOOR

“Vía PanAm is also a book and an iPad app.
“Vía PanAm by Kadir van Lohuizen exhibition opening on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Bronx Documentary Center. It is on view through Dec. 13, 2015. The exhibition was produced by Paradox, a Dutch not-for-profit organization that develops projects around contemporary issues with documentary authors: photographers, filmmakers, visual artists, writers and researchers. Paradox is supported by the Mondriaan Fund.

Find more news-related pictures in our photo galleries and follow us on Tumblr.