TOKYO-2017

Families

  • Photographer
    Vladimir Antaki

They come from Kosovo, Romania, Albania, Turkey or Bulgaria fleeing their country for political or economical reasons. Some are real families, some are constructed by organized crime. Begging in the French capital comes in many forms: some are in legitimate need of a roof, food, warm clothes and human consideration; others just want your money and have formed a culture based on tough, ruthless survival. In both cases, human beings are spending their days and nights on the streets of Paris huddling under threadbare blankets on dirty mattresses. This is not a new phenomenon; there have always been beggars, but children were always left out. Tens of thousands of people pass by these “human tableau” every day, unconcerned by this “spectacle.” Social misery can be perceived in many ways. I chose to focus on families and show the faces of these men, women and children that we don’t want to see, and make them less invisible.