One of the huge exhibition-highlights in this year’s autumn opened on Thursday at Fotomuseum WestLicht: World Press Photo 13.

The exhibition presents the best press photographs of the past year, which have been awarded by World Press Photo Foundation in Amsterdam. The World Press Photo exhibition, which is hosted by WestLicht this year for the twelfth time, is one of the most important exhibitions for WestLicht owner Peter Coeln, because it has a decidedly political focus. The awarded photographs take an impressive look at last year’s events, covering such subjects as politics, culture, sports and nature, and thus become captivating historical documents.

This is for example the case with the impressive series by Danish photographer Jan Grarup, who came to Vienna for the opening ceremony. Grarup has photographed a women’s Basketball team in Somalia, since many years an area of crisis. Grarup’s work documents the enthusiasm the young women put in the game, despite being threatened and attacked by fundamentalist groups. Grarup’s series is not an allegation, he says, but aims at telling the story of these brave women to a larger, worldwide audience.

The fact that World Press Photo was the most popular WestLicht exhibition last year with over 22.000 visitors was confirmed by hundreds of guest for the opening of World Press Photo 13, who came to have a first look at the awarded photographs.

Credits: Peter Jakadofsky (WestLicht)