Picto has proudly contributed to a new exhibition about homeless people in New York by French photographer Steve Fiehl. Steve has spent several months in the shelters and the programs of the Bowery Mission, the largest NGO to address the needs of New Yorkers in crisis.

Many photographers have taken pictures from people in the streets, but few have been behind the doors of shelters or documented the way reintegration programs work. “We all see people experiencing homelessness and hunger everywhere in the streets of New York, and their number has never been so high since the Great Depression. But we rarely know who they are, what their story is and how exactly they survive in such a harsh environment,” Steve Fiehl explains.

This large exhibition (total of 30 pictures) mixes a documentary approach and deep, personal portraits of men in programs, struggling to get back on their feet – all in Black and White. “It has been a spiritual journey, where you navigate through very different feelings: fear and sometimes repulsion; pity and compassion; admiration and love.” Steve comments. “These New Yorkers are not “just” without a home; they are disconnected from their family and any kind of social relationship; they have no more trust in others or themselves; they have lost their sense of identity. But they are still here, -struggling. Those survivors of our contemporary world can teach us much more than we think about life, resilience and the importance of spirituality. They are wiser than many of us. I dedicate this work to those who have the courage to stand up and fight for their dignity as human beings.”

The exhibition has been first shown during the 20^th Gala of the Bowery Mission and will be presented this year in public places. It has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Richemont North America.

Exhibition printed and framed by Picto on Canson Platine paper and Floater frame.