World Press Photo Exhibit: Free at your nearest mall!

Sometimes window shopping and just simply hanging out in the mall brings a lot o surprises. Especially if you happen to just visit it once a month, or even once a week. Everyday, there's something new to discover at the mall. So naturally, if one has always been a mall-hopper, there are some things that might not be as surprising to them. Anyhow, as I was browsing the mall, carrying my tea latte, I was not so surprised to see a grand piano in the middle of the hall (as I said, mall hoppers are rarely surprised). But what caught my eye were these gigantic pictures situated just around the area where the piano was placed. At first, they looked like paintings, some vaguely looking like out of this world concepts. But as I peered closer, I found that these were not paintings but actual photos taken during late 2008 and early 2009. With the wonderful piano music floating around serenely (the song, by the way, was "Love Story"), I decided to look closer at the photos that were being exhibited.

The exhibit is from a non-government organization called World Press Photo. In their online gallery, the photos are the winners from their annual press photography contest. Never have photographs been more compelling. It is a simple yet profound look at how the world is today. Such photos evoke strong emotions and, while these may simply be one-dimensional things, they certainly tell a wonderful story. Looking at the pictures makes one feel like a child who opened their first book which is undoubtedly filled with different photographs. Unfortunately, this fairytale rarely ends in a happy ending.

Hopefully, more people come to see the exhibit before it is shown to another country. Here are the malls where you could catch the exhibit.

The Block, SM North Edsa
Sun 09 Aug 09 - Exhibition open for public
Mon 10 Aug 09 - Official opening
Wed 19 Aug 09 - Last day of exhibition

Mall of Asia
Thu 20 Aug 09 - Exhibition open for public
Thu 20 Aug 09 - 18:30 h. Official opening
Sun 23 Aug 09 - Last day of exhibition

EXHIBITION VISITING HOURS
Monday - Thursday : 10:00-21:00
Friday - Sunday : 10:00-22:00

Thanks to Dennis Rito and his photography blog for the schedule.