Steve McCurry

Jul 3 – Oct 18 2015 at the Museum für Gestaltung – Schaudepot (Toni-Areal Pfingstweidstrasse 96 – Zurich, Switzerland. More info…

Steeve McCurry’s photographs capture human experience and transcend boundaries of language and culture. Children and shepherds, warriors and labourers are presented alongside striking views of sandstone cities, mountainous landscapes, and ancient temples. Included in the exhibition are several unpublished images as well as images taken during his most recent trips that have never before been seen.

Born in a suburb of Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Steeve McCurry studied film at Pennsylvania State University, before going on to work for a local newspaper. After several years of freelance work, McCurry made his first of what would become many trips to India. Traveling with little more than a bag of clothes and another of film, he made his way across the subcontinent, exploring the country with his camera.

It was after several months of travel that he found himself crossing the border into Pakistan. There, he met a group of refugees from Afghanistan, who smuggled him across the border into their country, just as the Russian Invasion was closing the country to all western journalists. Emerging in traditional dress, with full beard and weather-worn features after weeks embedded with the Mujahideen, McCurry brought the world the first images of the conflict in Afghanistan, putting a human face to the issue on every masthead.

Since then, McCurry has gone on to create stunning images over six continents and countless countries. His work spans conflicts, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions and contemporary culture alike – yet always retains the human element that made his celebrated image of the Afghan Girl such a powerful image.