Beyond the Frame 74/
A postcard from Patan. The Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2025 winner. A Magnum Exhibition. Special Edition competition.
Time to chill
“Photography is neither the end nor the solution, but rather an invitation to look closer, to listen more carefully, and to deal more intensively with the world around us.”
– Frederik Rüegger, from the Leica Oskar Barnack Award Shortlist (see below)
Outside the red-brick entrance to the Patan Museum in Kathmandu, a long wooden bench hosts an ever-changing cast of regulars – invariably men – who gather to talk, laugh, and watch the world go by. When one group departs, another will slip seamlessly into their place. The row of men in their traditional Topi hats is such a permanent fixture that they could be a living museum exhibit.
Namaste. The Nepalese greeting.
“The light within me bows to the light within you.”
Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2025
Every year, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award recognises photographers who have successfully documented “the relationship of humanity to the environment.”
This year’s winner, Alejandro Cegarra, has done precisely that – combining his patience, empathy and craft to create a body of work that tells the story of people living on society’s margins.
Alejandro’s photo essay, The Two Walls, features images made in Mexico between 2019 and 2023.
“There was a time when Mexico had the reputation of being a safe refuge for asylum seekers. In recent years, however, the country has become a supporter of the United States anti-immigration policies. Originally from Venezuela and currently living in Mexico, Alejandro Cegarra’s black and white series focusses on the individual stories of people affected by the harsh conditions in Mexico’s border region.”
By illustrating migrants’ lives with his engaging black and white photographs, Alejandro has succeeded in highlighting how dramatic shifts in government policy have left asylum seekers facing ever-tougher barriers, both physically and bureaucratically.
Alejandro describes his work as exploring “the essence of belonging, the pursuit of home, and the denunciation of human rights violations.”
“These current policies are a disheartening testament to the disconnect between the politics of power and the plight of the vulnerable.”
“This project is a call to action, urging us to dismantle the barriers and systemic obstacles that confine migrants and asylum seekers within this endless ordeal.”
Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2025 Special Edition
I have two copies of the 2025 LOBA catalogue. Expertly edited and beautifully printed, the special edition contains photos from the winning essays plus the shortlisted entrants. To enter, see below.
Two of my favourite shortlisted essays, both of which are featured in the special edition, are Youbing Zhan’s Migrant Workers in China’s Assembly Line and Frederik Rüegger’s I Am a Stranger in this Country.
“Frequent job changes during my migrant worker days left me feeling restless. As with a boat on the ocean, photography provided me with an anchor to stabilise my inner self.”
– Youbing Zhan
I encourage you to make time to look at the winning photo essay by Alejandro Cegarra – and also the shortlisted essays. Although the subjects are diverse, they are all connected by their thoughtful depictions of aspects of the human condition.
All too often, human stories are flattened into headlines and statistics. Yet photographers like the ones recognised by the Oskar Barnack awards open a window through which we might glimpse the resilience, reality and community of people with whom we share this pale, blue dot.
Reader Competition
To enter my competition to win one of two copies of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award 2025 Special Edition Catalogue, answer the question below in the comments. Correct entries (or closest guesses) will be entered into the draw.
Competition Question: How many tagged categories are there for Beyond the Frame newsletters, up to and including this edition?
Oskar Barnack
The Leica Oskar Barnack Award is named after the man who created the first Leica 35mm camera prototype. The Leica story is a fascinating one and Oskar Barnack is a pivotal character. Here’s a quick video portrait of the man after whom the award is named.
The Californians Powering America
A new Magnum exhibition opened at the San Fernando and La Cañada Flintridge libraries in Los Angeles, California last week.
The exhibition highlights stories of the immigrants who sustain America’s economy.
“Featuring five distinct visual stories from Matt Black, Sabiha Çimen and Yael Martínez, the exhibition illustrates the humanity and aspirations of those who sought economic opportunities in America, while pointing to a central contradiction behind the mythologized American Dream: America depends on immigrant labor to thrive, even as it seeks to expel and punish the people who provide it.”
“Quiet and essential modes of care, such as helping patients heal and sharing food, have become focal points of their American experience, while they often remain unseen and undervalued.”
The five stories reflect the jarring contradiction faced by migrants who contribute to a society in which they increasingly face prejudice and exclusion. Is the American Dream in danger of becoming a waking nightmare?
And finally…
In music news: it’s unusual to hear a new album that has the power to make me stop whatever I’m doing and fully listen. But Anna von Hausswolff’s new record, Iconoclasts, is unlike anything I’ve heard in a while.
After reading a five-star review, and another Album of the Week recommendation, I thought I’d see (or hear) what all the fuss was about.
Iconoclasts might be something of a Marmite album, listeners will either love it or hate it. Personally, I think it’s extraordinary. And I haven’t said that about a new album since the late 1990s. (Also, do people still say Album and Record?)
Iconoclasts is available on Apple Music and Spotify.
Postcard from a Car Park
I leave you with photo made yesterday: a view of Geneva from the top floor of a multi-storey car park.
You can attach your own metaphor… probably something along the lines of “It matters not where you’re standing, what matters is where you choose to look.”
I hope the week ahead brings you an abundance of impressive views bathed in glorious light.
Until next time, go well.
Directory: Beyond the Frame newsletter archive.
Resources: Recommended books, films, gear, media etc.
Beyond the Frame 73/
Anniversary weekend. Fine Art Postcards nearly sold out. Life release in Cambodia. Seven Days Walking – inspiration for a photography project.