On the occasion of the exhibition Welkom Today and in collaboration with the Stedelijk Museum, Paradox is organizing a debate panel on the importance of manifold voices in contemporary documentary photography.

Welkom Today is a collaborative project about the post-apartheid period in South Africa by photographers Ad van Denderen and Lebohang Tlali. The exhibition interweaves different perspectives, generations, and histories with each other. Welkom Today is a critical follow-up to Ad van Denderen’s 1990–1991 reportage, Welkom to South Africa. How do people look at themselves, their community and history?

Documentary photography has a long tradition of Western photographers who travel around the world in order to record conflicts, disasters, and inequality. At present, an increasing number of photographers are questioning their position as image makers. Instead of speaking about a community or culture, photographers are exploring new ways to engage in dialogue with their subjects and involve people in the way they are portrayed. How can visual representation become more inclusive?

Photographers Ad van Denderen, Lebohang Tlali, Susan Meiselas and Khalid Amakran will respond to Welkom Today from their own perspectives and experience. The project will be introduced by Anne Ruygt, co-curator of the exhibition. Following the panel discussion, visitors can view the exhibition on their own, and the speakers will also be present to answer any questions.

This Sunday Seminar is organized in conjunction with Welkom Today and X25 – The next 25 years of storytelling. The latter is a series of discussions and reflections on recent developments in documentary photography and its future practice. Paradox, a producer of multi-platform documentary projects, is organizing various events in 2019 and 2020 to mark its 25th anniversary.