The Master Series Exhibit: My Conversation with Lynsey Addario (09-10’22, SVA Gallery, NYC)

— by Macy Castañeda Lee (macy@td-msom.org)

Author’s Note: This is not a formal interview with Addario but a recount of the exhibition & conversation made with the photographer at that time being.

Yesterday, I had the most fantastic experience visiting master photographer Lynsey Addario's The Master Series presented at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. The Pulitzer Prize-winning war photographer received the 32nd annual master series award and this solo exhibition. Addario's work is nothing short of fantastic, from her assignments covering the frontlines of 9/11 to the conflicts in Afghanistan to over 80 countries worldwide.

I'm starting my new life in the city, being mentored, training for journalism, & exploring the world of art curation. When I visited SVA at Chelsea, I was lucky enough to talk with Lynsey and read through her adventures. The exhibit displayed her first camera, some childhood photos, and the early parts of her career. A big chunk of her work focused on different humanitarian crises in Africa. It documented significant events in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Lebanon, and South Sudan. The whole process of Addario's ethics towards photojournalism in terms of approaching sensitive issues like genocide, sexual abuse, and the ongoing climate crisis is remarkably world-class. Addario has undoubtedly been a beacon of light in documenting the significant events in our lifetime. As I walked through the exhibit, I felt every emotion and was provoked in the best way by every narrative displayed in each story. In one of Addario's works that showcased her photography for the Libyan civil war, she explained to the press why she kept working despite being threatened, beaten, tied, blindfolded, and sexually assaulted. "I always believe my work is important, or I wouldn't risk my life for it. I also feel in those moments; if nothing else, my work will stand. Even if I am no longer here, here's my body of work I've created," she shared with them. She continued to communicate with SVA Magazine: "It's still the ultimate reason why I go to cover anything dangerous and why I risk my life: I believe that a person in a position of power who sees what's happening and the gross injustices, human rights abuses, and deaths of women and children won't be moved to action. It's unfathomable."

One can read more about Lynsey's experiences and this exhibit in almost any news outlet and through the SVA gallery & magazine. I was compelled to share my experience with Addario and how representation can transform someone's life.

Addario was one of the three journalists that caught my attention while searching that industry's depth and meaning. I knew that journalism or photojournalism wasn't just conveying facts, events, and urgent pieces of information to the public. I think it means being able to carefully display the intricacies of the pain in people's lives, chaos, upheaval, and oddity. I think it also means being able to illuminate the small pockets of grace amidst its disparity, giving people a more precise vision to move forward; this is precisely what I experience when looking at Addario's work. Her vibrant images filled with saturation and clarity compelled me to look, keep looking, and stare. I spent over an hour going through the entirety of the exhibition, engrossed in each image's emotion and intimacy. Somehow, it opened up a desire to heal my inner child and wounds from past trauma, which I was unsure and uncompelled to do until those moments.

I caught up with Addario after one of her interviews and congratulated her. It was a pretty quiet Friday morning in the gallery, with only around four people at most walking around alongside me. She sat down and drank some water before talking with me. She's a warm and charismatic woman right off the bat. She spoke with calmness, conviction, and confidence. It's been a crazy few days since she shared her schedule flying in and out of the city. I caught her at a perfect time, as a few hours after that meeting, she was about to fly back to London where her family resides.

I shared with Addario my pursuits as a young person in New York and figuring my life out; she told me it was one of the best places to be when doing that. She shared that the city significantly impacted her craft and owed it all to the people. "It's all about the people," she told me. Planning this particular exhibit, as successful as it was, was rushed as it took the whole team to set up the entire programming and physical displays in just four months. Addario did her artist talk on it last September 9th and returned to the physical space for more media interviews and visits from friends. She cared so deeply about the whole process of planning this, and in anything, she reminded me that empathy at the end of it all is what's truly needed. She practiced this perfectly as I watched her check up on the exhibition's receptionist and asked her how she was doing and how she greeted people coming in and out of the space. Talking to Lynsey made me realize the importance of listening and genuinely listening. I originally planned to ask her many questions but answered her questions about myself instead. It was quite a surprise, but I appreciated it sincerely. It feels great to feel represented by a woman in a highly challenging field, let alone being encouraged by one. After learning more about the technicalities of being a photojournalist and being trained under one, Addario shared with me the importance of always following your gut. Your gut is your sixth sense, connected to other body parts, and your number one buddy in the advice you didn't necessarily ask for but needed to hear. I was lucky to have had this opportunity to meet with this powerhouse and visionary right before they left the country. But she told me I was doing great, that I should continue the work with my exhibit, and always follow my gut.

The gallery opened on September 2nd of this year and is ongoing until October 29th, Monday through Saturday, from 10 AM to 6 PM. You can find the exhibit at the SVA Chelsea Gallery, 15th floor, 601 West 26th Street in New York City.