MARK AUMANN

Eau Claire, Wisconsin

I’ve always considered him my Greek oracle, that travel photographer on the island of Mykonos who sagely told me some 40 years ago the key to powerful photography is to make it human. It took me years, but I finally got what he meant while living in Nicaragua during the US-sponsored Contra war.

The face of suffering and struggle was hard to ignore and became a central focus in my photography. It was time to engage. While my photos are not overtly political, I have tended to focus on subjects who often live in countries that have suffered the consequences of US military and economic imperialism. As North Americans, we are often ignorant about what happens in our name beyond our borders, and it became clear that putting a human face on the abstract was essential to help create a greater global awareness in a geo-political climate where hegemonic propaganda tends to demonize and dehumanize.

Photographing strangers is not easy and requires a personal investment in emotional energy for both the photographer and viewers of the subjects captured. For me, it is a moving experience that allows me to see the beauty, pride, dignity, and will to survive of people beyond our borders. Someone once asked me if I considered myself a religious person. After a moment’s reflection, I responded that I find God in the eyes of the people I photograph.

The images in this exhibit were taken in Haiti, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Vietnam.

Market Vendor-Hoi An, Vietnam Digital Photography

Women comprise the majority of workers in Vietnam’s informal economy and from their meager earnings provide life sustaining support for their families. After a long day at the Hoi An fish market this vendor was happy to find a place to rest her head. She still found the energy to generate a warm smile.

Market Vendor in Hoi An Digital Photography

Economists call it working poverty, and many women in Vietnam’s informal sector fall into that category. Income inequality and lack of education and labor protections in Vietnam leave many women at the bottom rung of the economic ladder where every dong counts when it comes to supporting their families.

One Love Digital Photography

The Bob Marley song “One Love” is a call for love and unity and to put our differences aside and come together as one. But Haiti, the world’s first independent black nation, may be torn beyond repair by unrelenting poverty and a pernicious political and economic system that further promotes division and violence. Where is the love?

Market Vendor-Elias Pina, Dominican Republic Black & White Photography

The border region separating Haiti and the Dominican Republic is a rough and tumble no-man’s land where women market vendors in the informal economy struggle to survive and provide for their families. The DR produces some of the world’s finest tobacco, most of which is set aside for export, leaving lower quality grades for domestic consumption. It is not uncommon to see many women smoking pipes and cigars.

Rama Indian Father & Son, Bluefields, Nicaragua Digital Photograph

2009

With little hope of attaining an education and economic opportunity that will lead to what we in the US would consider gainful employment, many young boys on Nicaragua’s remote Atlantic Coast follow in the footsteps of their fathers and become subsistence fishermen or farmers earning barely enough to feed their families and put a roof overhead. Climate change is negatively impacting this traditional way of life.

Porch Gathering-Corn Island, Nicaragura Digital Photography

2010

Group photos of kids, while usually a joyful moment, can sometimes be a challenge getting everyone in sync. Open eyes is probably the biggest challenge. While somewhat unsmiling, the eyes of the two smallest kids on this porch sparkle in unison.

Reunion-Hoa Lu, Vietnam Digital Photography

2008

Many of the Vietnamese in this group portrait were children during the Vietnam War. Some are old enough to have fought against the Americans in that tragic war. One of them seemed to be a revered military figure. They were all gathered for some sort of reunion and as an American pointing a camera at them I could only imagine what they were thinking and the stories they could have shared.

Young Sandinista-Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua Digital Photography

1989

In many cultures, children are often deployed during political campaigns. In the US, think of candidates kissing babies or kids waving flags during campaign rallies. In Nicaragua, this young Miskito girl in the remote Rio Coco region near the Honduran border was part of a dance company performing on behalf of President Daniel Ortega’s re-election campaign in 1990. Once a leader of the Sandinista revolution, Ortega lost that election, but today he is back in power and is considered by many to be Nicaragua’s new dictator.

Sidewalk Café-Hanoi, Vietman Digital Photography

2007

Sidewalk cafe culture is omnipresent in Vietnam and can range from a hodgepodge of tiny plastic chairs on the pavement to elegant European style cafes in Hanoi’s French Quarter. All are popular venues where Vietnamese gather to socialize and stay connected. Anthony Bourdain was also a huge fan of Vietnam’s street cafe culture.

Rama Indian Woman, Bluefields, Nicaragua Digital Photography

Life expectancy in the developing world can vary depending on circumstances. In Nicaragua, over the past decades the adult population has been decimated by war, the high toll of grinding poverty and more recently COVID. This Rama Indian woman and her husband in Bluefields both beat the odds and lived well into their 70s.

Rush Hour in Hanoi Digital Photography

The streets of Hanoi are a sensory riot of noise and movement where young and old appear to navigate together in harmony as a single organism. Somehow there seems to be order in the chaos of this synergistic ballet. When crossing the street, probably the best thing to do is put your head down and just walk and avoid eye contact and become one with the moving life form.

Waiting for Aristide, Port-au-Prince, Haiti Digital Photography

Haiti has been a failed state for as long as memory serves. Today, with no functioning government, gangs and chaos rule the streets. For many of the poorest of the poor, former Catholic priest and President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was a source of hope. Many still see Aristide as a savior for Haiti and are calling on him to return to political power.

Irrepressible, Port-au-Prince Digital Photography

The resiliency of children in the wake of catastrophic trauma has always amazed me. The 2010 earthquake that laid to waste Port-au-Prince killed hundreds of thousands and left millions homeless. Children count as some of the most impacted in this disaster, many living as internal refugees in makeshift tent cities. It is always heart-warming when I can bring a smile to a kid’s face, if only for a brief moment

Psalm 121, Port-au-Prince Digital Photography

For months after returning home from earthquake ravaged Haiti in 2010, I did not realize the uncannily prophetic nature of this blind woman being assisted by a family member. Tap Taps (brightly colored trucks and vans used for public transport in Haiti) are usually adorned with words and images depicting biblical or other exhortations of hope and devotion. In spite of the faith of the Haitian people, Haiti is sadly one of the most godforsaken places on the planet and is plagued by one natural and human-caused disaster after another. And yet hope in a higher power persists. With respect to this image, I will let Psalm 121 speak for itself:

A Song of Ascents.

1. I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?

2. My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3. He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;

4. indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5. The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6. the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

7. The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;

8. the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Repose, Port-au-Prince, Haiti Digital Photography

The human suffering and carnage caused by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti is something out of your worst nightmare. It all seemed like a set out of a bad Hollywood disaster movie. But the death and destruction was all too real and for the first time in my life I feared that I would not make it home alive. The peaceful expression on this young woman’s face betrays the fact that one of her legs was amputated below the knee. Morphine at work in a makeshift triage tent.

Rama Indian Baby Digital Photography

There are at most several thousand Rama Indians still on the planet, most of whom live on Rama Cay, a small island south of Bluefields on Nicaragua’s remote Atlantic Coast. There are maybe 25 to 50 elders who still speak the Rama language, which is on the verge of extinction. This child will likely grow up speaking Spanish and Creole English, legacies of the colonization of Nicaragua by Spain and England.

Timeworn Tapestry Digital Photography

Guatemala is one of the most colorful places on the planet, especially when beholding the traditional hand-woven clothing worn by indigenous Maya women. An important reflection of Maya cultural identity, the garments have both symbolic and practical purposes. For me, this Timeworn Tapestry image captures both the natural and cultural beauty of Guatemala and the difficult conditions many indigenous women are forced to endure.

Proud Cuban Digital Photography

Few figures in history have inspired the kind of obsessive love/hate range of emotions as Fidel Castro. For many self-exiled Cubans in South Florida, he is the embodiment of pure evil. For many remaining in Cuba, he is still the beloved father of the revolution and champion for the poor and free universal health care and education for all Cubans. Fidel has died, but his legacy lives on as does the US economic embargo on Cuba designed to punish his regime. Ultimately, the Cuban people are the ones who suffer the most.

Young Girl on Porch Digital Photography 2009

The look in this young’s girl’s eyes reflected much wisdom and confidence. I always wonder the future holds for many of the children I photograph. I hope this little girl had a long and happy life.

Sisters

Digital Photography

2009

In small rural communities like the Miskito fishing village of Haulover on Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast, many of the youth often leave for economic opportunities in larger cities. For those who remain, there is a community of extended family that provides support throughout their lives. Sisters forever.

Providence, Port-au-Prince

Digital Photography

Hamlet on the Water-Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Digital Photography

2007

Why, Lord?-Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Digital Photography

2010

Nuns, Cao Dai Temple-Tay Ninh, Vietnam

Digital Photography

2007

Cao Dai Temple, Tay Ninh, Vietnam

Digital Photography

Business as Usual

Digital Photography

Collage-Hanoi, Vietnam

Digital Photography