#ICP Concerned

Book excerpt: On March 13, 2020 when the global coronavirus pandemic brought life as we know it to an abrupt halt, the International Center of Photography, just weeks after opening in a brand-new building on Manhattan'ss Lower East Side that was buzzing with visitors, was forced to close its doors. Wanting to do more than virtual exhibition tours, ICP announced the #ICPConcerned open call on March 20th, an invitation for people to make, upload, and tag images on Instagram of whatever was going on in their lives wherever they were. What resulted was more than sixty thousand submissions from countries as far flung as France, Singapore, Argentina, Nigeria, Canada, and Iran. From the halls of medical facilities to eerily empty streets and domestic settings converted into home offices and classrooms, the more than 800 photographs collected here are organized chronologically and accompanied by headlines gathered from various global news entities. Taken together, these words and pictures represent the pain, heartbreak, hope, and occasional humor we've all experienced this past year against the backdrop of COVID-19, unrelenting racial injustice, and a divisive political climate. Exhibition: ICP International Center for Photography, New York, USA (01.10.2020 - 03.01.2021).