Health. Safety. Play. For many children, these are simple facts of daily life. For others, they are luxuries not afforded them by the environment in which they live.
This September, Galerie RudolfV in Amsterdam gives center stage to the powerful role of sport and play in improving the development, health and peace of children affected by war, poverty and disease through a documentary photography exhibition by Den Haag photographer Daphne Johnson.
The exhibition, which opens September 4 and continues through October 2, provides a candid glimpse into the unique programs facilitated by Right To Play , an international humanitarian organization that uses sport and play to improve health, develop life skills, and foster peace for children and communities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the world. Johnson travelled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as part of a personal project to document the local Right To Play program in May and June 2009. The exhibition features a selection of documentary images from her immersion into the Addis Ababa program.
There is a stark contrast between the spirit of the children participating in this program and that of their immediate surroundings,” said Johnson. “I am grateful for the opportunity I had to capture moments that are both moving and remarkable considering the context in which they were documented.
Daphne Johnson is a freelance photojournalist and the owner of LucidPics Photography in Den Haag. She studied photography at the renowned Brooks Institute in Santa Barbara, California, and photojournalism at San Francisco State University. Daphne’s images have been published through a number of local, regional and international media outlets, including the Associated Press.
Galerie RudolfV , at Kerkstraat 427, 1017HX Amsterdam, is open Wednesday to Saturday, from 12.00 until 17:00, and the first Sunday of the month from 13:00 until 17:00.
