Welcome to a conversation on photography, ethics, and dialogue, inspired by Sophie Ristelhueber’s imagery and the philosophy of Martin Buber.

This year’s Hasselblad Award laureate, Sophie Ristelhueber, has photographed conflict-affected places such as the West Bank, Lebanon, the former Yugoslavia, and Iraq—works that focus on the traces left by war. Her images confront us with urgent questions: How do we relate to photographs as testimonies of war and trauma, and what responsibility do we carry as viewers? How might we encounter images of violence, suffering, and trauma beyond the documentary or sensational? Can a photograph speak to us as a witness?

The discussion will also draw on philosopher Martin Buber’s idea of the I–Thou relationship, in which meeting the other is central. What happens if we approach a photograph not only as an image but as a presence we stand in relation to? Could a more dialogical way of seeing transform how we engage with images of war and trauma?

When: Wednesday, 3 December, 6:00–7:00 PM
Where: Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg Museum of Art
Admission: Included in the museum entrance ticket. The talk will be held in Swedish.

Participants

• Ulrika Björk – Associate Professor of Philosophy, Södertörn University

• Max Liljefors – Professor of Art History, Lund University

• Moderator: Emma Botin, Curator of Education, Hasselblad Foundation