August Photo Diary (Part 4) - World Press Photo Exhibition

7. The day after adventuring around Downtown Santiago at night and visiting La Moneda and the Centro Cultural, our entire family went to the World Press Photo Exhibition in downtown. The exhibition is a part of an international tour from the Amsterdam-based annual photography contest. To me, the idea of the exhibition is to tell the story of the year in the eyes of ordinary people. 

It explains why I thought it particularly cool that they created a space specifically for Chileans to contribute their own photography out front...

The quality of the photos and juxtaposition of the different colors was impressive, especially given that many contributors are not professional photographers or the like. I also enjoyed seeing Chile in the eyes of locals; it gave the exhibition a more local feel since its photos span the world's events this past year. Below are pictures of some stray dogs (that are very common everywhere) who hung around the front sleepily. I thought they were cute and out-of-place, so I took pictures...

 Inside, needless to say, the pictures were gorgeous. It is one of those situations where the most horrible things seem beautiful in appearance. What irony.

(Above: photo of a town with heavy industry effects)

(Above: the first part of the building with photos dealing with nature. The gorgeous orange and blue hues of the two photos on the right depict environmental pollution seen aerially. I could hardly believe it.)

(Above: There was a sports section that was really fantastic. This photo caught my attention and I lingered there for an extra few minutes)

(Above: I am pictured standing next to the photo of the year won by an American. It depicts African migrants in Somalia trying to find phone signal to contact their family. This was one of the many examples of evocative photos at the exposition.)

(Above: My younger Chilean sister and I at the entrance of the exhibition)

Overall, I greatly liked the exhibition. I liked that it gave a chance for 'ordinary' photographers to participate and that it demonstrated the ability of photography to convey issues and evoke strong emotions from the receptor. At times, the pictures were unnecessarily crude, depicting violence and cruelty without shame or shielding, and those were more difficult to see. 

Food!

Then, we went out to eat nearby at a tourist-y restaurant that was beautiful, nestled in a quaint neighborhood near one of Pablo Neruda's homes. It was the first time in Chile that I heard so many conversations in English! Anyways, the restaurant was gorgeous, all in tones of dark brown with a high ceiling and two stories. 

(Above: The restaurant was odd in this respect: it made food in double the normal size but with the same delicious quality and cheap price. Pictured is my order: bread with fried merluza fish, avocado, and tomato. As expected, I could not finish the plate.)

(Above: My Chilean dad ordered Soapapillas - fried and crunchy, which is different from the version I am used to - with caramelized mushrooms, eggplant, steak, and fried potatoes. Definitely not good for your heart, but super rico!)

(Above: my Chilean sister ordered cheeseburger with blue cheese... and out came two! I tried a bit and it was marvelous... The sweetness of the cheese melded perfectly with the beef and the hardier texture of the bread.)

To end, it was a fantastic food and intellectual-stimulating day, which ended even better because it started to rain, making the day picture-perfect!

(Above: a woman walking through the rain. Notice how the colors of the building look more delightful in the rain? Or maybe that is just me...)