JAMES NACHTWEY ‘Memoria’

JAMES NACHTWEY ‘Memoria’

For over four decades, Nachtwey has documented wars, humanitarian disasters, and social injustices. His focus is consistently on the people behind the events. The emphasis is not on military operations, but on the human consequences of violence, the impact of global crises, and the question of how dignity and humanity can be preserved even under extreme conditions.

Memoria understands photography as both an act of remembrance and a resistance against forgetting. Nachtwey's images document history, but their impact is most profound in the present: They sharpen our awareness of suffering, inequality, and responsibility—and thus open up spaces for social change.


“Memoria opens a space for reflection—on moments that have shaped our recent history and on the forces that continue to shape our world today. James Nachtwey’s photographs stay with us because they depict human suffering with extraordinary clarity, compassion, and respect. His images remind us why it is important to look closely. They challenge us to reconsider our own role within our shared history and invite us to grapple with the issues that profoundly influence us.”

Thomas Schäfer, Associate Director of Exhibitions, Fotografiska Berlin


Nachtwey’s interest in photography began early: images from the Vietnam War and the American Civil Rights Movement shaped his sense of responsibility long before he picked up a camera himself. Even when he transitioned from local reportage to international conflict coverage in the 1980s, his approach remained unchanged—empathy as a foundation, combined with instinct, precision, and a deep trust in human connection.


Many of his photographs appear almost like deliberately arranged compositions. Indeed, they often arose in fractions of a second, in situations of extreme danger. Nachtwey documented virtually all the major conflicts of the modern era: from the wars in the former Yugoslavia, Chechnya, and the Middle East, to the genocide in Rwanda and famines in Somalia and Sudan, to the protracted war in Afghanistan.


But his work goes far beyond depicting battlefields. It also reveals the subtle consequences of violence: displacement, hunger, persecution, disease—and the daily courage of those who survive the unimaginable. Nachtwey adheres to a clear ethical principle: to bear witness without exploiting; to make suffering visible without robbing dignity; and to affirm that even in moments of utter destruction, humanity remains at the center.


Memoria invites us to pause and consider the world from Nachtwey's perspective—not as a mere succession of catastrophes, but as a fragile chain of human experience. His photographs tell less of war than of the longing for peace in places where it has long since shattered. They make structural violence and global injustices visible – and serve as a powerful reminder of why close observation, compassion, and responsibility are more important today than ever before.