© Arantxa Cedillo 2010 Photo credit: Arantxa Cedillo / IOM

Bamboo Shoots

Is this yet another photo exhibition about Cambodian children trying to induce our pity for fundraising purposes?

Not at all. This time, the photographers had to respect the Carta di Treviso (Treviso Charter), which aims to protect children in their relationship with the media. According to the Charter, “it is necessary to pay special attention and sensitivity when spreading images and stories to avoid to perpetrate, in the name of a pitiful sentiment, a sensationalism that ends up being an exploitation of the individual”. The Charter specifies in particular that photographers must make sure the children cannot be identified in the pictures.

According to Arantxa Cedillo, project coordinator and one of the four photographers, ensure children anonymity while taking their portraits was a great and very interesting challenge: how can one tell a story and communicate an emotion without showing the children’s faces? Each one of the four photographers found his own answer, creating a touching exhibition respectful of the children it aims to protect.

Opening: Bamboo Shoots, Cambodian Children at Risk @ Royal University of Fine Arts, Sat. June 26, 18:00