World Press Photo Gallery

by 2007 prizewinners

As a sponsor of the World Press Photo 07 exhibition in Toronto, The Walrus is pleased to present a critical analysis of a selection of the images.

Photographer: Denis Darzacq, France, Agence Vu

Comment from Mia Nielson, curator and writer:

It's easy to be cynical. When I first saw this image, a part of my mind immediately dismissed it as just another digital manipulation, another Photoshop trick. Some guy flying, who cares. But that was exactly when the rest of my mind awoke to the beauty and spontaneity of the image – this mysterious guy, airborne with arms stretched out superman-style, turning in the air, his feet kick up behind him.

The photo's composition is as perfectly balanced as a colour field painting and the black, white, and grey palette is sheer elegance.

But, it's also easy to be cynical about young people, drugs, violence, gangs; judgment falls from our lips everyday. Beyond the clichés, I am always amazed by the culture that grows out of urban youth. Street dancers and those involved with the Parkour movement are the roots of changing perceptions on how we move through the urban environment and how we use our bodies to express ourselves and gain a deeper understanding of each other.

That which was almost dismissed turns out to be a most inspiring image.

--Mia Nielsen is an independent curator and writer, based in Toronto. Currently she is showing "Fine Line," in various locations in Denmark, featuring the work of contemporary Canadian artists. Her next show, entitled "Beautiful Looser, a retrospective of the work of Harold Town," opens at the Drake Hotel in Toronto, November 1, 2007.

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