HUMAN.KIND.

Ewing and co-curator Rusca joined forces in 2021 to choose images from the portfolios of 5,000 photographers who had been nominated for the Pictet photo prize since 2008. Their aim was to discover images that not only highlighted the prize’s mission to “bring global attention to issues of sustainability” but also demonstrated “care, respect, sympathy [and] consideration” either on the part of the photographer or subjects photographed. Ewing and Rusca ultimately chose 30 photographers from 24 countries. Their work was displayed in an exhibition at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum in Geneva. Some, like Ezra Acayan, who captured the 2020 eruption of the Taal Volcano in the Philippines, reveal a concern for the impact that underreported natural disasters have on ordinary lives. Others, like Adriana Zehbrauskas, who created poignant portraits celebrating the dignity of retired Mexico City sex workers, chose to record individuals hidden from everyday view either because of who they are or—as in the case of the indigenous Bolivian skater girls Luisa Dörr photographed—because of the remoteness of where they live. Still others, like Lynsey Addario and Alex Majoli, use photography to confront the human costs of crises such as the Syrian and Sudanese civil wars and the pandemic. This book’s beautiful images will appeal to anyone interested in world-class photography and how such photos can offer moving aesthetic experiences.