Simpatia

“Fazal Sheikh is a concerned photographer in the traditional mold: an artist who sees his role not merely as a witness but as a compassionate, involved humanitarian. Unlike so many of the images that come out of third-world trouble spots, his pictures … are never polemical or exploitative. Instead, he makes intensely sympathetic, emotionally complex portraits of people who are too often seen as little more than ciphers or symbols, and he underlines their individuality by naming each of his subjects in the title. As a result, Sheikh’s photos have the gravity of August Sander and the grace of Julia Margaret Cameron – a combination of formality and frankness that feels at once classic and utterly contemporary.”