Photographer Patricia Esteve opened an exhibition about suicide in Nairobi, Kenya, where it’s considered a crime
Out of This Life is a conceptual and very personal photo-project about suicide. Catalan photographer Patricia Esteve is exhibiting this work at The Kenya Cultural Centre in Nairobi, in a country where suicide is forbidden. According to the Kenyan Penal Code, “any person who attempts to kill himself is guilty of a misdemeanour,” punishable up to two years in prison! On top of that, there is also the social stigma for those who tried or their relatives, normally mistreated and disgraced by the community. Many people think suicidal tendencies are contagious.
Patricia’s courage is not only for exhibiting such taboo in Kenya and inviting the society to openly “talk about suicide”. It’s also brave to develop visuals out of such a difficult topic. As many characters prefer to keep concealed and some others are no longer alive, conceptual and creative shots help to show Patricia’s perspective (and sensitivity) on this matter: a starry sky, a set of newspapers clippings, a tree, farewell notes, a paper boat. A collection of beautiful images that adds some hope and poetry, such the loneliness of the gay activist George Barassa, laying on the mattress of a safe house. Brilliant shot!
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