"We're only here for a flash": Steve McCurry on life and photography

>Article originally published on www.sciencespo.fr by the Sciences Po editorial team.

The man who took the world-famous photograph of the green-eyed "Afghan Girl" in the 1980s has a lot to say about photography, storytelling and the state of the world today. He was at Sciences Po on the 9th of December 2021 to share his vision of the world and his artistic approach. 

The students of the Culture / Cultural Policy & Management streams of the School of Public Affairs at Sciences Po were particularly involved in the organisation of this meeting in the framework of the "Masterclasses Culture" of their School. They prepared the biographical elements, the contextualisation of the discussion and the formulation of questions on different political, artistic and curative aspects of McCurry's work, right up to the conclusion of the discussion.

Art and culture as a profession

Beyond its primary focus on art and culture, the event was conceived as a pedagogical tool for Sciences Po students to better question broader issues of ethics, art and exhibition of works of art, while addressing the more practical aspects of working in the cultural field. As the moderator Florence Botello, Head of the Culture stream at the School of Public Affairs, reminded students: "your path in the cultural field will be marked by encounters - very inspiring and important encounters - that will define your aspirations throughout your career".

McCurry spoke that evening with Biba Giacchetti, the curator of the exhibition 'The World of Steve McCurry', dedicated to the photographer's work, which opens on the 9th of December 2021 at the Musée Maillol. They have known each other for 25 years - a quarter of a century of a working relationship that crosses continents and links languages and cultures. In front of the students, they gave a fine demonstration of collaborative work and mutual and lasting artistic respect.

From storytelling to exhibition

Navigating between the two key themes of the talk, storytelling through images and the exhibition of the images themselves, the two collaborators shared their perceptions of what it means to devote one's life to one's passion for the art of photography.

Steve McCurry is best known for his work in Afghanistan, where he has travelled more than thirty times in his career. On his first trip to the region in 1979, the conditions in the war-torn country inspired him on both a human and visual level. "I became very attached to the history of this country. It kind of penetrated me" he explains, referring to the families he met and the villages he visited on that first trip. 

As the masterclass progressed, the guests talked about this idea of narrative applied not only to photography, but also to the art of conservation. For Biba Giacchetti, "every image has its own story, but we instill our own stories in the image". This is why she has chosen not to classify the photographs in this exhibition 'The World of Steve McCurry' by date or region. "Everyone has a different reaction," she says. This is because our personal histories and history interact in the representation given by the image we are looking at. She therefore preferred to leave the photographs selected for the exhibition open to personal interpretation.

Seizing the moment

What Steve McCurry strives to do most of all in life is travel and multiply his life experiences. Considering that our time on this earth is brief, in a world plagued by war and violence, a reality that McCurry has witnessed first-hand throughout his career, the photographer admitted that it is not always easy to remain optimistic. Asked about the role of photography in the contemporary world, he said there is "still a lot of work to be done. Doing your part is better than nothing, but is it enough?"

In conclusion, student Alice McCrum, offered a beginning of an answer to this question: "perhaps a combination of art on the one hand, and action on the other, might be the way forward?" Before sharing some advice with her fellow students: "overcome the reluctance and fear, take risks, be curious".

The editorial team of Sciences Po

Vidéo © Thomas Arrivé / Sciences Po

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• The Culture policy stream at the School of Public Affairs
• The Cultural Policy and Management stream at the School of Public Affairs