Autumn in Vienna is the season of World Press Photo. As the Photo of the Year the jury of the 60th annual Photo Contest selected an image by Turkish photographer Burhan Ozbilici–a decision which has spurred controversy among the photo community.
The picture shows how Mevlüt Mert Altıntaş, a 22-year-old off-duty police officer, assassinated the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, at an art exhibition in Ankara, Turkey, on 19 December 2016. Mary F. Calvert, member of the jury, spoke about the winning photograph: “It was a very very difficult decision, but in the end the majority felt that the picture was an explosive image that really spoke to the hatred of our times. Every time it came on the screen you almost had to move back because it’s such an explosive image and we really felt that it epitomizes the definition of what the World Press Photo of the Year is and means.”
For the sixteenth time in a row, the exhibition of the best international photojournalistic works will be on display at WestLicht Museum, opening its gates to the public on 15 September. Last year’s edition of the show attracted close to 23,000 visitors.The award-winning single pictures and stories show the past year in icons of contemporary history and present important events in politics, society, sports and nature.Among the dominant topics in this year competition are the conflicts in the Islamic world, in particular the war in Syria and the struggle against the IS in Northern Iraq, as well as the fate of the refugees on their dangerous routes to Europe.
WestLicht
15 Sep – 22 Oct 2017
Westbahnstr. 40
1070 Wien
