Purgatory

• Photographer
  Valerie Leonard
• Agency / Studio
  Valerie Leonard Photography
• Photo Date
  December 2017

Between hell and heaven... purgatory... For 35 years, Saliha has been dipping aluminum foil in sulfuric acid and caustic soda. It's a necessary process to anodize (create a protective layer) aluminum foil before transforming it into pots, pans, or kettles. The smell is unbearable. The toxic fumes burn eyes. With a simple scarf on her face, she works all day for a salary of 3€ per day. Aluminum factory in Dacca, Bangladesh.

Valerie Leonard is a documentary photographer concerned with human and environmental issues. She travels the world following her theme of "Works of Hercules" in which she shows the dignity of men and women living and working in difficult conditions. Far from seeking aesthetic or false compassion she intends to change our view of a forgotten humanity and provoke a questioning in our privileged societies about our real needs as well as our commitment and our role in a world in perpetual development to the detriment of men and their lands.