Josef Koudelka - Gypsies

One of my favorite photographers.

"Josef Koudelka's Gypsies remains one of his best-known series, offering a unique survey of the lives of the Roma community across then-Czechoslovakia, Romania, Hungary, France and Spain between 1962 and 1971. Originally published in 1975, five years after Koudelka left Prague following the Soviet Union's invasion, Gypsies is a classic of documentary photography. Now returning in its original, hardback format, this timely new edition is as much a pioneering photoessay as it is a lesson in book making.

Carrying only his equipment, a rucksack and sleeping bag, Koudelka journeyed between different village and encampments. His nomadic existence, defined by a sense of displacement, allowed him to gain the trust of the Roma communities he encountered. The resulting series eschews the often-derogatory depictions of the community to instead provide unparalleled insight into their world, shining a light on their traditions, struggles and routines.

The Roma in these images were photographed mostly in a state that no longer exists, ruled by a regime that dissolved in 1989. With such few historical depictions, Gypsies is not only a testament to the beauty of photography, but a vital historical document of a community often relegated to the shadows. Arriving at a moment of contemporary unrest and social marginalization, Gypsies is a poignant reminder of the often bleak reality of the disenfranchised, and the power of photography to bear witness."

https://www.magnumphotos.com/newsroom/society/josef-koudelka-gypsies/

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