Unpacking Seven Decades of World Press Photo
In 2025, World Press Photo celebrates its
70th anniversary. In this landmark year, we’ve taken the deliberate step of inviting external interpretation of our extensive archive. The anniversary exhibition, What Have We Done?, curated by Cristina de Middel, aims to deepen and challenge one’s understanding of how images construct meaning, promoting a more nuanced engagement with visual storytelling.
By examining archival images and their contexts, we acknowledge the remarkable work done by journalists in often very challenging circumstances, while simultaneously inviting the public to engage with our visual past not as a fixed narrative, but as a living resource that informs how we might tell stories differently.
The exhibition is organized around six recurring visual patterns identified in our archive:
- Women Weeping and Men Rescuing
- Emotional Soldier and Debris
- Being a Man and Being a Woman
- Black Skin and the Dark Continent
- Silhouettes and Shadows: The "Wow" Moment
- Fire and Smoke
In seven decades, the three words that define this award have transformed completely: "World," "Press," and "Photo" don’t mean the same in 1955 as they do today. This exhibition acknowledges that shift while asking where we go from here.
It is an invitation to rethink not just how our visual language has changed but also how we, as viewers and citizens, should be learning to read images with a sharper and more critical eye.
At World Press Photo, we believe in the power of storytelling to spark dialogue, raise awareness, and inspire change.
About the curator
Cristina de Middel is a Spanish photographer renowned for her conceptual approach to photojournalism. Formerly a staff photojournalist, she transitioned to personal projects that challenge perceptions of reality. Her notable works include The Afronauts, a reimagining of Zambia's 1960s space program, and Journey to the Center, documenting migrant caravans through Mexico. She was a recent president of Magnum Photos.
Visitor information
Event location
Niemeyerfabriek, Groningen
Paterswoldseweg 43, 9726 BB Groningen
Visiting hours
Tuesday to Saturday: 10.00 - 17.00
Sunday: 12.00 - 17.00
Monday: closed
Tickets
General admission: €9.50
Students: €4.50
Organization details
Noorderlicht
Pop-up festival
The What Have We Done? exhibition will be accompanied by a pop-up festival where critical thinkers, speakers, and photographers will spark dialogue and reflect on the themes of the exhibition through a program of talks and panel discussions, photographer presentations, workshops, guided tours, and educational activities.
More information to follow.
Extra
During the exhibition
What Have We Done? at the Niemeyerfabriek, in Groningen, the Netherlands, the exhibition
Rauw Vermogen will also be presented: A new commission project by Noorderlicht, developed with seven emerging local photographers who are looking at the region’s future through the lens of its people, landscape, and labor.
