24.05 - 21.09.25
dans la salle
John Vink. Le Fil
The exhibition Le Fil (The Thread) by John Vink explores the timeless link between stories and life journeys, which are often intertwined. This thread, woven over decades, passes through remote valleys, periods of war and life journeys marked by belonging or uprooting. Vink sheds light on human lives that are often invisible, inaudible and neglected, giving them a presence through his photographs.
Vink’s thread is also a dividing line between peace and chaos, calm and noise, safety and danger. He symbolises the choices, the mistakes and the moments captured or missed during his career. Each photograph is a fragment of time, a reference to an era and a testimony to human lives that continue despite the obstacles.
The exhibition invites visitors to discover this thread of life through images that tell stories of resilience, presence and memory.
John Vink is a Belgian photographer born in 1948. He studied photography at La Cambre in Brussels and began his career as a freelance photojournalist in 1971.
Biography
His work is characterised by a deep commitment to documentary photography. In 1986, he received the prestigious W. Eugene Smith Award for his report on water management in the Sahel. That same year, he joined the VU agency in Paris.
Between 1987 and 1993, John Vink devoted himself to a major work on refugees around the world, documenting their situation in various countries such as India, Mexico, Thailand, Pakistan, and many others. This project resulted in the publication of the book Réfugiés (Refugees) in 1994.
In 1997, he became a member of the Magnum Photos agency. He also created and published Thèmes, a magazine dedicated to documentary photography.
John Vink lived in Cambodia from 2000 to 2016, where he covered the country’s political and social news. His book Avoir 20 Ans à Phnom Penh (Being 20 in Phnom Penh) was published in 2000.
His photographic approach is characterised by a desire to bear witness and inform, without seeking to change the world, but by showing reality as it is. He has often worked in black and white to accentuate the tension between reality and its representation.
John Vink has exhibited in many countries, and his works continue to be recognised for their precision and commitment to the subjects documented.
