Members of the Golden Gays community unwind at home after a show, in Manila, the Philippines. 24 July 2022. Credit: Hannah Reyes Morales, for The New York Times.
The family is a historical institution—but not an unchanging one. This exhibition considers a decidedly contemporary, complex range of familial relationships, as represented by photographs that have won the World Press Photo Contest during the last 20 years.
Showcasing works by more than 20 preeminent photographers and photojournalists, Ties That Bind presents diverse perspectives on what constitutes family. Numerous photographs on view portray the normative nuclear family—composed of a mother, a father, and their children—and extended family members such as grandparents or cousins. Other images present familial structures that involve single-parent or blended households, same-sex couples, and surrogate mothers. Forms of kinship among people without biological ties also feature prominently in the exhibition. From adoptive families to teammates, gangs, neighbors, religious congregations, and more, many images on display underscore the importance of what is often referred to as “chosen family.”
Implicit within the variety of family pictures are different types of interactions, roles, and connections that can form between family members. Acknowledging that such dynamics can range from supportive and loving to dramatic, stressful, and even harmful, the selection of photographs invites us to reconsider the notion of family anew as inclusive, expansive, and ever-shifting.
Presented here is a selection of the stories and photographs from the exhibition. What photographs resonate with you, and why? Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #TiesThatBind.
A Syrian family in a refugee camp in the Beqaa Valley, in eastern Lebanon, stand beside a chair representing a missing family member. 15 December 2015. Credit: Dario Mitidieri.
Since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, millions of refugees have been forcibly displaced in neighboring countries. For his project Lost Family Portraits — photographed in two different refugee camps in Beqaa Valley, eastern Lebanon — Dario Mitidieri explores loss and the devastating effects that war has on families. Empty chairs symbolize the relatives lost in the conflict. "The most important element of the shoot was trust," says Mitidieri. "This is always the case, but in this instance, it was particularly significant, given the context of the assignment and the atrocities these families have witnessed since the beginning of the war." According to UNHCR, as of 1 January 2023, 318,713 Syrian refugees are living in camps in Beqaa Valley.
Left: Lola was born in Ethiopia and adopted by a Valencian family. She has been dressing as a fallera since she was two, and in 2018 decided to try for fallera mayor infantil for Fallas de Valencia festivities in Valencia, Spain. 2 February 2018. Right: Emma Xifeng Abril (left) was born in China and her sister Eva Lanhan Abril in Vietnam. Their adoptive mother bought fabrics from Emma’s homeland to make a fallera dress for her for Fallas de Valencia festivities in Valencia, Spain. In 2017, she was chosen as fallera mayor. Credit: Luisa Dorr
Women and girls wear fallera dresses for the Fallas de Valencia festival in Valencia, Spain. Inspired by clothes worn centuries ago by women working in rice fields around the city, the elaborate dresses can cost more than €1,000. To complement their gowns, falleras set their hair in a traditional three-bun style adorned with ornate combs and jewellery often handed down through generations. Different parts of the city each have a fallera mayor (and maybe also a young fallera mayor infantil) — a woman who represents her falla (neighborhood group) at the festivities. It is an honor to be chosen and can mean even greater expense being lavished on the outfit.
Reborn dolls are set out for ‘adoption’ at a doll fair at the Brentwood Holiday Inn, in Brentwood, United Kingdom. 22 February 2015. Credit: Karolina Jonderko
‘Reborn’ babies first appeared in the 1990s. Crafted in vinyl or silicone, each doll presents hyper-realistic features, such as birthmarks, veins, pores, and saliva. More sophisticated dolls possess electronic systems capable of reproducing heartbeats, breathing, and sucking. Reborn babies can be purchased with ‘adoption’ or ‘birth’ certificates. While most reborn owners are doll collectors, some have experienced miscarriage or neonatal deaths, have no means for adoption, or suffer from empty nest syndrome. Sometimes owners may use the doll as a substitute for a child. The photographer explores the phenomenon of how artificial babies evoke genuine emotional responses in adults.
Left: Basia, Dominika, Magda and Emilka go walking, in Karpacz, Poland. A few times a year, the doll lovers gather to spend time together and exchange experiences. 13 May 2015. Right: Ewa holds up her reborn doll, in Bytom, Poland. She says the doll reminds her of her niece when she was a little baby, and keeps her company. 17 July 2015. Credit: Karolina Jonderko
Ryuichi Nagayama (center) practices before a match in Kumagaya, Japan. At 91 years old, he is Fuwaku Rugby Club's oldest active player. 3 May 2019. Credit: Kim Kyong-Hoon, Reuters
Founded in 1948, Fuwaku Rugby Club is one of approximately 150 Japanese clubs that stage competitive, full-contact matches for players over the age of 40. According to a 2023 United Nations report, Japan has the world's oldest population. Older people are particularly vulnerable to loneliness; a 2017 survey by the Japanese National Institute of Population and Social Security Research found that one in seven single men above 65 spoke with someone only once every two weeks or less. Rugby keeps the seniors active as well as offers a ready-made social life. The 2019 Rugby World Cup, held in Japan, boosted awareness and enthusiasm for the sport.
Members of the Fuwaku Rugby Club team have a drink at a restaurant after a match in Kumagaya, Japan. 3 May 2019. Credit: Kim Kyong-Hoon, Reuters
Surrogate mothers Ry Ly (left) and Vin Win (right) were arrested during a raid to fight trafficking in 2018. Their children from surrogacy, Korng (left) and Phavit (right), often play together in Kampong Speu, Cambodia. Vin Win is separated from her husband who resents the situation. 27 January 2022. Credit: Nadia Shira Cohen for The New York Times
Surrogacy—the act of carrying and birthing a baby for another person or couple—was accepted practice in Cambodia until 2016, when the government started prosecuting surrogate mothers under already existing human trafficking laws. In 2018, 32 women acting as surrogates were arrested and imprisoned in Phnom Penh. Many had sought surrogacy arrangements with Chinese family planning agencies to help their families escape poverty. Nearly all gave birth in confinement and, after sentencing by the Cambodian Supreme Court, all were obliged to raise the babies themselves or face prison terms. The surrogate mothers shown here have been required to bring up their surrogate children as their own.
Left: Chandarayoth Pheap is comforted by his grandmother, Bonan Ky, at his surrogate mother Sreyroth’s home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. His grandmother takes care of him while both his parents work. 17 January 2022. Right: Sopha in her shared room in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She works overtime to support her two biological children and one surrogate son, who are being raised by her mother. As a victim of gender-based violence, Sopha turned to surrogacy so she could afford to cut ties with her husband. 26 January 2022. Credit: Nadia Shira Cohen for The New York Times
Left: The Borca family relaxes after an early start to the working day in Maramureș, Romania.20 June 2012. Right: Maria Cupcea stands in the hallway of her mother’s house in the village of Breb, Romania. 9 June 2012 Credit: Rena Effendi for National Geographic
There are currently 2.9 million agricultural landowners in Romania, accounting for one-third of the EU’s agricultural holdings. Most of these farms are less than 5 hectares and worked in ways unchanged for centuries. Farmers struggle to compete with European imports and the profitability of the agricultural sector is low. Farming families often need to supplement their earnings. With this project, Rena Effendi reveals that this unique way of life persists despite the threats of globalization and agricultural industrialization. In January 2024, hundreds of Romanian farmers gathered near Bucharest to protest against the high cost of diesel, insurance rates, EU environmental measures, and pressures on the domestic market from imported Ukrainian agricultural goods.
