Exhibition Opening: Towards Alternative Humanitarian Visuals?

We know that humanitarian images often foreground suffering. How can we provide more complex visualisations that also show complexity and ensure collaboration and protection? 

THE LAUNCH

Join us for a conversation and a reception to open the exhibition, and to celebrate the life of Associate Professor Emma Hutchison -  whose pathbreaking work was critical to the project.

Prof Bina D’Costa and Michelle Godwin (ANU) together with visiting experts

• Samuel Bariasi (ICRC)
• David Tuck  (ICRC)
• Prof Roland Bleiker (UQ)
• Michelle Higelin (ActionAid)
• Dr Amporn Marddent (Thammasat University)
• and Jeremy Shusterman (UNICEF).

will discuss how humanitarian efforts together with local partners and collaborators can develop narratives that do not conceal suffering, but offer a more equitable, ethical, and nuanced representation of violence and its aftermath.

THE EXHIBITION

Display duration: Mon 24 March - Fri 28 March 2025

Held on the land of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, the exhibition ‘Towards Alternative Humanitarian Visuals?’ curates photographic works from three previous ICRC exhibitions that 

• share stories of resilience amid warfare in the highlands of PNG, 
• display portraits from six landmine affected countries, and 
• visualise the impact of armed violence in Afghanistan, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Georgia, Haiti, Lebanon, Liberia and the Philippines.

The collection asks us to consider what balance is required between showing devastating truths, beauty, individual dignity, identity, consent, and humanitarian response activities.  When eliciting human connection for action, we are invited to pay attention to our own emotions and related responses, such as shock, solidarity, indifference, responsibility, and care.  We know that images have ‘long privileged a vision of suffering rather than a language of equality.’ How do we ensure that humanitarian images prioritise complexity, collaboration, and protection?

WARNING: The exhibition contains themes and images that may be distressing or triggering to some individuals. If you feel uncomfortable, consider stepping away and seeking support from a trusted person or professional. Your wellbeing is important, and it's good to be mindful of others' sensitivities.