BERLIN.- „We should stop calling him a ‘war photographer’. Instead, look upon him as a man of peace, a man whose longing for peace makes him go to war and expose himself.“ (Wim Wenders)

What does it mean to witness the worst things humans do to one another and still believe in compassion? Memoria, on view at Fotografiska Berlin from January 31 to May 3, 2026, showcases the powerful photographic work of James Nachtwey, one of the most influential photojournalists of our time. He spent four decades documenting conflict, injustice, and the fragile traces of humanity within these crises. The exhibition centers on the human consequences of war and critical social issues, highlighting the individual within large-scale historical upheavals. It also reflects on the essential role of photography itself: as a medium of memory, an act of preservation, and a tool that resists forgetting. While his photographs inevitably contribute to preserving history, their foremost purpose lies in illuminating urgent realities in the present – creating awareness where there is neglect and prompting viewers to confront the conditions that demand change. It is this immediate impact, this activation of public consciousness, that motivates his work; only later do the images endure as records of what must not be forgotten. In this way, photography interrupts cycles of violence and erasure, safeguarding histories that might otherwise be lost.

“Memoria opens a space for reflection – on moments that have defined our recent history and on the forces that continue to shape our world today. James Nachtwey’s photographs stay with us because they confront human suffering with rare clarity, compassion, and respect. His images remind us why looking closely matters. They challenge us to consider our own role within a shared history and invite us to engage with the stories that continue to form who we are.” Thomas Schäfer, Associate Director of Exhibitions, Fotografiska Berlin.

Nachtwey’s interest in photography began with images he did not take himself: images of the Vietnam War and the American Civil Rights Movement shaped his sense of responsibility long before he touched a camera. That early impression never left him. When he moved from local newspaper assignments into global frontline reporting in the early 1980s, his approach remained grounded in something disarmingly simple: empathy as a method, sharpened by instinctive precision and a belief in shared humanity. Through his photographs, Nachtwey reveals what binds us together beyond borders and backgrounds, capturing both the urgency of the moment and its timeless resonance.

Some of the photographs in Memoria appear almost formally composed. Yet they were made in fractions of seconds, in conditions where instinct was all he could rely on. Nachtwey often found himself working in circumstances where his life was in danger. He documented nearly every major conflict of the modern era – from the wars in the former Yugoslavia, Chechnya, and the Middle East, to the genocide in Rwanda, famine in Somalia and Sudan, and the long arc of conflict in Afghanistan beginning in the 1980s. His work charts not only battlefields but also the silent crises surrounding them: displacement, famine, persecution, and the everyday resolve of people living through the unthinkable. He stood where others could not or would not stand, always with the same guiding principle: to witness without exploiting, to show suffering without stripping people of their dignity, and to insist that even in scenes of devastation, human presence still matters.

Memoria invites audiences to slow down and see the world as Nachtwey sees it: not as a sequence of catastrophes, but as a fragile continuum of human experience. When Wim Wenders argues that Nachtwey should not be seen merely as a war photographer, he captures something essential about the spirit of his work. His work is not about combat; it is about the longing for peace in places where peace has collapsed. It reveals the structural violence and social injustice that shape contemporary history – from the refugee crisis to systemic poverty, from state oppression to public health emergencies. Nachtwey has pursued these issues with the same dedication he brings to war zones, documenting a wide range of global injustices, including the criminal justice system in the United States and the devastating effects of industrial pollution across Eastern Europe. His images reveal the impact of injustice and violence while also evoking compassion, empathy, and a sense of shared responsibility. They urge us to look closely and to remember.

James Nachtwey (b. 1948) is widely regarded as one of the leading photojournalists of the last half- century. Since 1981, he has documented conflict and social upheaval across the globe, working as a contract photographer for TIME since 1984, as a member of Magnum Photos from 1986 to 2000 and as a founding member of the photo agency VII from 2001 to 2008. His work has received numerous accolades, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal five times, the Magazine Photographer of the Year eight times, the World Press Photo of the Year Award twice, the Dan David Prize, the TED Prize, and the Princess of Asturias Award. Nachtwey’s photographs are held in major international collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Centre Pompidou and the Getty Museum. In 2001, “War Photographer”, a feature length documentary film, directed by Christian Frei, about the life and work of James Nachtwey was nominated for an Academy Award.