Steve McCurry Children

The new "Steve McCurry Children" exhibition by the renowned American photographer opens May 19 to the public at the Museo degli Innocenti in Florence. 100 photographs will be on display until Oct. 8 to admire the first thematic exhibition dedicated to childhood by the most beloved photographer ever, taken over nearly 50 years and depicting children from every corner of the world in scenes of everyday life.

A tribute to an extraordinary period of life, a gallery of surprising portraits that tells the story of childhood in all its facets with a characteristic common to all, the gaze of innocence, and which is embodied in the very place that symbolizes childhood, theIstituto degli Innocenti in Florence, which for over 600 years has been continuously involved in promoting and protecting the rights of children. A place designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, beautiful, designed to give an opportunity for a future to the little ones entrusted to the care of the community and whose history is represented in the Museo degli Innocenti . A task that theIstituto degli Innocenti interprets, in a modern key, even today, making itself a place not only of welcome and education, but also of study, research and cultural promotion for the welfare of the new generations and for the concrete affirmation of their rights.

The children immortalized by McCurry's lens differ in ethnicity, dress and traditions but express the same feeling with their inexhaustible energy, joy and ability to play even in the most abnormal and difficult contexts, often determined by social, environmental or conflict conditions. One need only think of the famous little Afghan girl portrayed in a refugee camp in 1984, who became emblematic of the conditions suffered in the war zones even before the United Nations drafted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which came into force in 1989.

Against this backdrop of global significance, McCurry's intent is also to raise awareness of the issue of youth exploitation. In countries where the photographer has traveled, especially in Asia, too many children are forced to work when they should be playing and going to school.

"McCurry's view of childhood is as varied and diverse as children around the world. But no matter where his lens points, the common thread is this: as long as there are children there is hope." And from the photos powerfully emerges "The eternal resilience of children...a vivid presence in Steve McCurry's shots, which captured the desire and ability to find joy even in the most difficult conditions. Play as a necessity manifests itself in countless ways, as in the photo of the children climbing the rusty tank, transforming an instrument of death into a source of fun. These children are motivated neither by ideology nor philosophy: they are simply converting a terrible weapon into a toy...," says Owen Edwards, photo critic.

Thanks to his extraordinary narrative ability, each image is a true chapter of history that becomes a window into the lives of the subjects captured by the lens, capable of expressing the essence and passion, in this case, for children, whose genuineness and carefreeness of pure beings he manages to convey.

"Steve McCurry's memorable shots masterfully capture the heart, soul and humanity of children to the remotest corners of our planet. His art becomes a kind of meditation, intense and unforgettable. One photograph that touches me deeply is the one in which McCurry captures a teacher and a group of little girls in a mud hut in Pakistan, my home country. The blackboard is leaning against a wooden pole, and there is no electricity, except for the electrifying passion of the teacher and the glowing eyes of the pupils, eager to absorb her teachings. They are learning to fly....There is beauty in the way children play, and in the way they learn. Despite the limited resources available to them, they enjoy jumping, running, swimming, always showing curiosity, happiness, adaptability, resilience. Their ability to find joy in the most difficult circumstances he of the miraculous and is revealed even in situations of conflict and poverty." Ziauddin Yousafzai, father of Malala, Pakistani activist.

The Florence exhibition begins with an extraordinary series of portraits and unfolds among images of war and poetry, suffering and joy, awe and irony. The visitor will ideally follow McCurry in his travels through India, Burma, Japan, Africa to Brazil, coming into contact with the most distant ethnic groups through the most disparate social conditions, highlighting a human condition made up of universal feelings and looks whose pride affirms the same dignity. An ideal journey that allows visitors to cross borders and get up close to a world destined for great changes, and which will be accompanied by topical insights curated by theIstituto degli Innocenti , which studies the condition of children and young people, which will accompany the thematic sections into which the exhibition is divided, illustrating the contexts and areas of experience that emerge in relation to the rights that must be guaranteed to them.

From Afghanistan to India, from Mexico to Lebanon to Italy, the exhibition describes the condition of childhood, made up of different expressions and lifestyles, but also universal situations.

We meet refugee or working children, children oblivious to danger playing climbing a cannon or frolicking in the mud, chasing a ball during a monsoon downpour, or playing a guitar made from discarded materials. Children growing up in big cities as well as in rural villages. Stories of joy and togetherness, of loneliness, of resilience and solidarity, of family and friendship, told with respect and empathy. McCurry Children is a journey into childhood to meet little human beings who face such different conditions, but who speak a language in which everyone can recognize themselves. It is also a journey into the memory of one's own childhood, and food for thought about the responsibility we have towards the new generations, in the knowledge that the dream of a more just future depends on the actions of our present.

Steve McCurry is one of the most iconic figures and one of the greatest masters of contemporary photography. A point of reference for a very wide audience that recognizes in his photographs a way of looking at our time, at theIstituto degli Innocenti the visitor will be able to take a symbolic journey through the complex universe of experiences and emotions that characterizes his famous images, thanks also to the support of an audio guide and an explanatory video....

The exhibition curated by Biba Giacchetti with Melissa Camilli of the SudEst57 team, promoted by the City of Florence , in collaboration with the Institute of theIstituto degli Innocenti, produced and organized by Civita Mostre e Musei with In Your Event by Cristoforo SCS, and realized with the support of Unicoop Firenze, I Gigli and Mercato Centrale, will be open from May 19 until Oct. 8 in the spaces of the Museo degli Innocenti