“A Family of Immigrants” spans 120 years and 55 countries, depicting a grand story of human mobility – a huge
In 2022, 21-year-old Tanya held back tears and held her boyfriend’s hand, possibly for the last time. Volodymyr, dressed in military uniform, crouched down to approach her as he stood on a train bound for the city of Kramatorsk in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. He was heading to the battlefield to fight the Russian invasion.
The photo capturing this heartbreaking moment, taken by Ilvy Nijokiktijen, is one of nearly 200 in a book and major exhibition at Rotterdam’s new art museum Fenix, which is entirely focused on immigration. immigrant family A broad look at human mobility from 1905 to the present, citing the various reasons why people might have moved from war and economic crisis to exile and internment, as well as in search of opportunities abroad.
The images included cover documentary, portraiture and photojournalism, with 120 years of work by 136 photographers from 55 countries. Providing such a broad perspective on the movement connects countless experiences—from a Ukrainian soldier fighting in the war to a young Afghan refugee to an impoverished mother and her children—and attempts to broaden our view of immigration.
“In every era, people move, whether out of free will, necessity, or pressure. Migration shapes the world, separates and connects people, but when we talk about immigration, the focus quickly shifts to people or politics,” said curator Hanneke Mantel.
The title refers to a 1955 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, human family. Curated by Edward Steichen, this bold exhibition features hundreds of photographs that tell the story of global solidarity after World War II. Stekan wanted to depict “the full continuum of life from birth to death,” and Mantel seems to have taken on that task in Phoenix, sharing a fuller story of immigration today.
immigrant familyPublished by Hannibal Books, it features photos of icons such as Dorothea Lange and Ernest Cole, as well as photos of today’s working people, such as Alejandro Cegarra. Find your copy in bookstores.
