No longer the killing fields of several decades ago, Cambodia is recovering from its brutal bout with the Khmer Rouge’s virulent strain of Maoist totalitarianism and progressing toward a problem-pocked normalcy, if not prosperity. Former Chicago Tribune photographer José Moré checked out the country as it stands today, focusing on the plight of women and the efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to give them a boost, in color shots that often have the quality of brochure images.That Moré, who was working under the aegis of the Pari Project—a consultancy for NGOs—can go far beyond the conventional approach demanded by his assignment is demonstrated by his few shots that cast a bit of a cloud over his sunny and smiley or dignified environmental portraits. In an especially arresting image peering down a long, eerily lit and deeply shadowed corridor of the White Building—a massive housing complex that was nearly destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and now houses the desperately impoverished—we see wraithlike black figures in states of seeming disintegration approaching us like zombies. These are residents taking a long march to their meager apartments. Although it was shot in color, the image appears to be black and unsettling white. (Michael Weinstein)
Through April 30 at Chicago Photography Center, 3301 North Lincoln
Home Is Where the Family Is: A Review of Chicago Chiquito at Bridgeport Art Center This small but significant exhibition shows the history of Chicago Chiquito, or little Chicago, the nickname given to La Hacienda, a small town in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. Its families have migrated north to find work for over one hundred years.
Fleeing Desperation: A Review of Ada Trillo at Chicago Center for Photojournalism In this heartbreaking yet visually beautiful exhibition, Ada Trillo implicates herself within her subjects to shine a light on both the hope and the hopelessness of their lives. If you are not moved by these images, surely your heart is made of stone.
The Roots of Pride: A Review of Jerry Pritikin at The Chicago Center for Photojournalism The show “When Then Was Now” gives a glimpse of early LGBTQ+ life in San Francisco—Harvey Milk became mayor and gay activism was gaining momentum. Pritikin, a legend of reportage, takes us back to a time before AIDS reared its ugly head and shows us how the movement looked all those decades ago.
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