War and violence protagonists at World Press Photo 2018

World Press Photo has returned to Barcelona, and once again global conflicts are the exhibition’s main protagonists. . . Some of the images are not for the faint-hearted, as the darker side of human nature is captured through the lens of some of the world’s best photographers.

This year’s winner of the World Press Photo was Venezuelan Ronaldo Schemidt. He spent two months covering the massive, and occasionally violent protests in his own country against president Nicolas Maduro, for the Agence France Presse… Covering events such as these, the photographer believes, carries its own burden, especially when it comes to how a photo can be interpreted once it’s in the public sphere.

“It’s a big responsibility,” he said. “It’s a photo that generates a lot of controversy. In the moment it takes place, you say what happens with the maximum clarity possible,” Schemidt explained. “There cannot be ambiguity, we cannot permit people to think of something else,” he went on to say, referring to what may happen to a photo when it enters social media.

An ugly picture

The exhibition paints an ugly picture of the general state of world affairs. Although there are some intimate portraits of family life, war and violence are the dominating themes. Ongoing refugee crises also featured in this year’s edition, as thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in various places throughout the world… whether it be from war, poverty, or persecution.

In the 61^st edition of the award, just over 73,000 images have been submitted by photographers from around the globe, some of them more harrowing than others. The truth is brutal, after all, and at the annual exhibition there are no holds barred. In some places more than others, death is a part of everyday life. . . And the innocent are usually the victims, those who end up paying the highest price. . .

It’s an exhibition not to be taken lightly, but definitely one worth a visit for anyone who takes an interest in current affairs throughout the world. It runs until May 27 at the CCCB in Barcelona.