This autumn, the Luis Valtueña Award travels to the United States for the first time. From 5 October until 30 November, the Instituto Cervantes is hosting the 26th edition, comprising 41 photographs, divided into four series by the winner and three finalists, as well as an image of the special mention by the jury.
In the exhibition, visitors can enjoy the depth of the work of María Clauss, the first woman winner of the competition with her series Donde no habite el olvido (Where oblivion does not dwell), a work that makes visible the historical memory of those who suffered the reprisals of the Spanish Civil War. In addition, the exhibition’s diversity also includes the works of the finalists: Santi Palacios, Nazik Armenakyan and Federico Ríos, and Sáshenka Gutiérrez, who won a special mention. They all reflect the various trends in photojournalism today, such as the crimes perpetrated in the Bucha massacre, the journey of people crossing the Darien Gap, the stigmatisation of women contracting HIV in Armenia, or the story of a breast cancer survivor, respectively.
Each year, the Luis Valtueña International Award travels to more than 12 cities in Spain and abroad, such as Rosario in Argentina, Lisbon in Portugal or Dakar in Senegal, accompanied by educational activities to promote a process of social transformation. “The exhibition is an opportunity to show the human suffering we see in the places where we work, which is too often forgotten because the media has already moved on to something else”, explains Fraser Mooney, spokes person for Doctors of the World USA.
Richard Bueno Hudson, director of the Instituto Cervantes in New York, highlights photography as a fundamental tool for raising awareness and bearing witness to injustice. The Cervantes Institute thus aligns itself with the founding principles of Médecins du Monde and recognises the work of the professionals who work to achieve the fulfilment of the fundamental right to health and the enjoyment of a dignified life for everyone.
