Jost Franko Farming on the Frontline [ EPF 2017 – SHORT LIST ] In the land from where the eyes can see the Israeli border, Palestinian farmers try to make their living producing agricultural …
In the land from where the eyes can see the Israeli border, Palestinian farmers try to make their living producing agricultural goods such as strawberries, oranges, grapefruits, olives, etc. The war in 2014, that lasted almost two months, has left the majority of Gazan farmers living in the buffer zones with their houses demolished or their land bulldozed – in worst cases, both. In 50 days long war that Israel called “Operation Protective Edge” more than 2,200 Palestinian lives were lost and about 17,200 homes totally destroyed, after 20,000 tons of explosive had been dropped on Gaza.
After photographing social inequality in his native Slovenia and internationally, Jost Franko has concluded that “profit over people” is the ideology that propels some of the world’s most profitable businesses. With his latest project, “Cotton Black, Cotton Blue,” he examined a global industry that from plantation to factory can be merciless and grueling for its workforce, which can even include children.
As a part of the VII Mentor Program, emerging photographer Jošt Franko has been mentored by VII member Christopher Morris for the past two years. In this edition of Conversations, Morris talks about what sets Franko’s work apart, Franko shares his future goals, and together they discuss the dynamics of their working relationship
Franko started taking pictures when he was 14 and won his first award when he was 16 with a moving series of photographs of his newly widowed grandmother. The series was awarded “Best Reportage” by the jury of the Slovenian Press Photo competition in 2010.
