Sidelines - by John Vink (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The work of the Eugene Smith Prize award winner whose photographs taken over decades and around the globe reflect the themes of identity, survival, and resilience of marginalized and remote communities.

This book chronicles the career of Belgian photographer John Vink, who started at Libération in 1985. His personal project Water in the Sahel won the Eugene Smith Prize in 1986, highlighting his dedication to capturing the human experience in difficult circumstances. As one of the first members of Agence VU, Vink documented refugee camps around the world.

His series Peuples d'En Haut shows the resilience and cultural identity of mountain communities, such as the Mam in Guatemala and the Hmong in Laos. After years of traveling, Vink settled in Cambodia in 2000, which allowed him to delve deeper into a culture. Now living in Brussels, he continues to inspire with his powerful visual stories that explore themes of identity and humanity. With a text contribution by Rik Van Puymbroeck.

Text in English, French and Dutch.

About the Author

John Vink (Brussels, 3 February 1948) is a Belgian photographer. Vink studied photography at La Cambre. He started working as an independent photographer and freelance journalist in 1971. Winning the prestigious W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic photography in 1986 brought him to international attention. In 1993, Vink was nominated as a member of Magnum Photos and became a full member in 1997. In 2017, he withdrew as a member of this photography collective.