Theory & Practice

Disposable People

A major exhibition showcasing the work of eight Magnum Photographers, documenting contemporary slavery across the globe

Magnum Photographers

Abbas Young boys, probably slave workers, show dry fish put out to dry. Dublar Char Island, Bangladesh. 2007. © Abbas | Magnum Photos
Alex Webb Higueral area of the La Romana sugar complex. Dominican Republic. 2007. © Alex Webb | Magnum Photos
Paolo Pellegrin Marie-Danielle Lebon. Pétion-ville. Jalousie, Haiti. 2006. © Paolo Pellegrin | Magnum Photos
Stuart Franklin Wol Deng who was captured and taken into slavery at a very young age and was redeemed in the past months. Marail Bai, Sudan. 2007. © Stuart Franklin | Magnum Photos
Chris Steele-Perkins Comfort women. Lee Sun Duk. She was 17 years old and working on a farm harvesting when she was taken by a Japanese soldier. She was put in a room with 15 other girls and then taken to Shanghai and (...)
Jim Goldberg Kids huffing in the outskirts of Kiev. Ukraine. 2006. © Jim Goldberg | Magnum Photos
Susan Meiselas Advertisement in front of a maid agency in a shopping center. Many agencies compete for prospective clients by offering low agency fees. Typically, as the agency fee for employers drops, the cost i (...)
Ian Berry Bold advertising for imported tomatoes which sell for less than the locally grown product. Cape Coast, Ghana. 2007 © Ian Berry | Magnum Photos
Installation shots of the Disposable People exhibition, a Magnum group project. The Southbank Centre. London, England. 2008.
Installation shots of the Disposable People exhibition, a Magnum group project. The Southbank Centre. London, England. 2008.
Disposable People Book cover. Hayward Publishing in association with Autograph ABP. 2008.

"Slavery in the contemporary world is what it has been since the beginning of human history - the complete control of one person by another. Violence is at the heart of that control, and the aim is profit
"

- Kevin Bales, President of Free the Slaves

Today, over 200 years after the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, an estimated 27 million people worldwide are still locked into slavery and servitude across the globe. This major photography exhibition, organised in collaboration with Autograph ABP and Hayward Touring, took an in-depth look at the prevalence of slavery and injustice in the 21st century through the lenses of eight internationally acclaimed Magnum photographers. The exhibition began at the Royal Festival, Southbank Centre and toured to venues across the UK.

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