The Winners Of The 2024 Budapest International Foto Awards

#5 Discovery Of The Year And Amateur/Student 1st Place In Editorial: "Taming Giants"

"This show chronicles a group of young people employed at an Angola ship graveyard. They had to bring parts weighing hundreds of pounds to the shore, battling with the waves and water currents after extracting them with just their hands and arm strength. Every day they control actual giants on this coast. They learnt early on to live with and appreciate the water. The sea determines when and how they may labor to make a pitiful 120 bucks for every ton of iron.I have always found great fascination in the human condition; my work has been mostly motivated by its research. By conveying stories that show sorrow or pleasure, despair or mutual support, strength or disappointment or just resilience in the face of hardship and uncertainty about the future, my photography aims to provoke sensations, and emotions, therefore transcending its artistic value.
For his stirring series, Taming Giants, João Coelho was named the 2024 Discovery of the Year in the Student/Amateur category. His artwork chronicles teenage workers tearing down huge ships in an Angolan scrapyard.
Coelho revealed that although this idea is still in development, he personally and professionally find great personal relevance in it. "I felt the need of recording the scenes of great drama I see every time I visit this beach after chance discovery of this group of young people working in a ship graveyard."
Spending more time with the group—who call themselves the Titanic G**g—the photographer found depths to their narrative. These elements, which he thinks have great documentary value, are something he intends to investigate and highlight in next projects. "In addition to the great courage, determination and audacity required to pull hundreds of pounds of iron out of the sea with the strength of their arms only, there is such a strong bond between them that it seems like a real relationship between brothers."
Beyond the arresting visual effect of the situations he catches, Coelho clarified, the real goal of his initiative is to transmit a strong protest message. He wants to draw attention to the unfair treatment these young workers go through—they assume life-threatening risks to make just enough money to sustain their family.