© Stéphanie sinclair
Bronx Documentary Center 614 Courtlandt Avenue 10451 New York États-Unis
In Too Young To Wed, the award-winning photographer Stephanie Sinclair explores the issue of child marriage through a collection of powerful photographs and poignant testimonies from victims of this persistent custom. The show will also present multimedia work, a collaboration between noted cinematographer Jessica Dimmock and Stephanie Sinclair.
In many societies, marriage is a celebrated institution signifying a union between two adults and the beginning of their future together. Unfortunately, millions of girls still suffer from a vastly different marriage experience every year. One in three girls in the developing world is married before she turns 18, often to a man considerably older than her and often without her say-so. The harmful traditional practice of child marriage spans continents, language, religion and caste. The results can be devastating: The girls are often removed from school, limiting their options for the future and the economic benefits they can provide their families. Child marriage denies girls their right to education, restricts friendships with peers and perpetuates the cycle of poverty in their communities. Early pregnancies put them and their children at much greater risk of death or disability. And social isolation exposes them to the potential for abuse.
© Stéphanie Sinclair
Photographer, Stephanie Sinclair, b.1973, has documented the global issue of child marriage for more than a decade. Stephanie lived in the Middle East for six years and began her work on child marriage after encountering young women who had set themselves on fire in Afghanistan and learning that many of these girls had been married underage. In addition to Afghanistan, this ongoing project has led her to Nepal, India, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Yemen and the United States. The resulting images have been published worldwide in prestigious outlets such as National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, and Paris Match among many others. Most recently, these images have won three World Press Photo awards and two Visa d’Or at the Visa Pour L’Image photo festival in Perpignan, France. Sinclair is the recipient of numerous other awards including the CARE International Award for Humanitarian Reportage, the Overseas Press Club’s Olivier Rebbot Award and a Pulitzer Prize.
In 2010, Stephanie’s photographs of self-immolation in Afghanistan were exhibited as part of the Whitney Biennial in New York. Stephanie is an owning member of VII Photo Agency in NY. She also co-founded Elsa & Friends Soap Cooperative, a small handmade soap-making business in Ethiopia for girls who have run away from child marriage.
© Stéphanie sinclair
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) champions the fundamental rights of men, women and children the world over. The Fund has partnered with premier photo agency VII on Too Young To Wed, a transmedia campaign that seeks to raise awareness of child marriage, support girls who are already married and, ultimately halt the practice altogether, sparing an estimated 142 million more girls over the next decade the same fate.
For more information, visit tooyoungtowed.org
ABOUT THE BRONX DOCUMENTARY CENTER Founded in 2011, the Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) is a non-profit gallery and educational space devoted to documentary projects from around the globe. Located on the ground floor of a recently revitalized building in the South Bronx, the BDC aims to create an engaging environment for local and international photojournalists, artists, filmmakers, critics and educators committed to innovative methods of non-fiction storytelling.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Bronx Documentary Center, 614 Courtlandt Avenue, Bronx, NY 10451 | info@bronxdoc.org | 347-332-6962
Directions Subway: 2/5 train to 3rd Ave-149th Street. BDC is located three blocks from the station. Bus: BX2, BX6, BX13, BX32, BX41. Car: Parking lot available adjacent to building.
Gallery Hours The Bronx Documentary Center is open to the public Thursday to Friday, 3 pm to 7 pm and Saturday to Sunday 1pm to 5pm. School groups are welcome by appt.
http://bronxdoc.org/
For more information, visit tooyoungtowed.org
© Stéphanie Sinclair