From the Wonders of the World in Black and White

There are thousands of photographs that we have received and analysed over the years and, surprisingly, we are always amazed.

We are transported to distant, diverse lands, inhabited by people who, whilst sharing the same biology, are distinct in the way they dress and carry themselves, in the way they gather, celebrate and suffer.

The settings vary and the light on the architecture casts distinct shapes, framing people, vehicles, animals, trees, equipment and landscapes in a unique way, In some cases, street photography borders on abstract, minimalist photography, whilst in others the human element manifests itself in an exuberant manner.

With the photographers, we walk through streets we may never visit, exchange glances with people we will never meet, yet through the photographer’s gaze, we share glimpses of personal stories that we are free to (re)invent.

Colour photography dominates today’s world, but black and white continues to hold a special place because the simplicity of the contrast, mediated by shades of grey, brings greater focus to texture, form and structure, which, when combined, makes the images magical. We are not taking much of a risk if we consider that in many photographs, poetry is written with light.

Mobile photography, captured and edited using quiet, discreet,

unobtrusive mobile devices, ensures the invisibility so timely when we wish to capture life unfolding in unique, unrepeatable moments that occur within a time and space defined by clocks and geography. It is in this world —diverse and coloured by differences and similarities—that humanity manifests itself most genuinely.

 Manuela Matos Monteiro

WINNERS

Mal McCann | o vencedor do prémio MIRA Mobile Prize B&W 24’

Cláudia Fernandes | the highest-ranked Portuguese player

SHORTLIST

Adelino Marques | Alon Goldsmith | Ana Silva | Andrea Seligman | Anthony Ginns | Antonieta Monteiro | António Fonseca | Arlete Bonelli | Augusto Lemos | Carlo Zamora | Christian Barroso | Cláudia Fernandes | Dilshad Corleone | Dominik Schulze | Dominika Koszowska | Ekaterina Karvasarskaya | Ekaterina Erofeeva | Ettore Simonetti | Filipe Salgado | Fleur Schim | Frederico Gonçalves | Heather McAlister | Ileana Montaño | Isabel Afonso | Isbela Mota | Jacek Szlak | Jo Gonçalves | Julia Zyrina | Kate Z. Roberts | Leandro Selister | Leila Soares | Lúcia Melo | Luiz Cardoso | Mal McCann | Marc Devriese | Marco Prado | Maria Faial | Odete Correia | Olímpia C. Branco | Óscar Valério | Paula Veloso | Paulo A.Fernandes | Raquel Lamares | Roberto Gallardo | Rose Battistella | Rui Sapateiro |Salomé Carvalho | Sandra Carrillo | Stephen Lang | Utkarsh Sinha

JURI

Armineh Hovanesian (USA)

Estevão Lafuente (PT)

Gina Costa (USA)

Himanshu Roy (IN)

Sukru Omur (FR)

CURATED by

Manuela Matos Monteiro | João Lafuente

MIRA Galerias | MIRA FORUM

Directed by Manuela Matos Monteiro and João Lafuente

Gallery Assistant Luísa Rosas da Silva