I recently submitted my picture 'Rio and Leli' (below) to a an exhibition and awareness project called No Exclusions, here in Malta and I was delighted to learn that the image won in the in the 'Overall Winner' category. The winner was chosen by a panel of judges.
This is what the project is about in the words of it's organisers:
Pictures can be as powerful as words, and sometimes even more so. This action is intended to raise awareness about poverty and social inclusion through images.
We invite you to take photos that speak about understanding others, overcoming isolation and creating inclusion.
We are looking for pictures highlighting objects, stories, people and situations that represent symbolic ‘bridges’ – links that could create connections between people in order to reduce the isolation of those living on the utskirts of society.
These pictures will contribute to building the biggest collaborative mosaic for inclusion.
I thought that the picture was relevant because at face value it shows a connection between the very young and the elderly but also, Rio is the son of an English man (me) and the relationships are a result of racial inclusion; the grandparents are Maltese and adopted a mixed-race Brazilian girl who married a caucasian man.
I guess, if that isn't inclusion, what is!
The exhibition was held in Malta's capital city, Valletta between 10th and 11th June, 2011.
