Fotograf FestivalFF

When thinking about dead bodies on the beach, nowadays most people think of undocumented migrants whose boats sank during the dangerous sea crossing to the European Union. The number of refugees drowned in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015 is the highest ever, reaching 2,500, making the border between Northern Africa and Europe the deadliest in the world. The photographic series “Stranded” by Oliver Ressler shows men lying motionless on an empty beach. But unlike refugees these men wear business suits, the standardized clothing of politicians and managers. These images could be seen as depicting those responsible for the policy resulting in drowned refugees. The photographic images point to something that might happen in the future as the collapse of the capitalist system continues. “Stranded” imagines what might happen if the managers of today‘s economy were themselves sacked and thrown overboard.