A Hungarian photographer is under fire for a controversial photo shoot. Norbert Baska recently shot a refugee-themed spread that was inspired by the current crisis at Hungary's border, and people are outraged.
The series titled "Der Migrant" features several images, one in which a woman in designer clothing is snapping selfies near a barbed wire fence, while another shows one being dragged away by police. Baska says he recreated the photos from actual events he had seen in the news.
Social media users criticized the images for glamorizing and sexualizing the tragic situation with the "migrant chic" theme.
Baska addressed the backlash over his shoot with a statement that defends his work, saying that he was using it as an opportunity to shed light on the current events.
"The shooting is not intended to glamorize this clearly bad situation, but rather to draw the attention to the problem and make people think about it. Artists around the world regularly attract the public’s attention to current problems through ‘shocking’ installations and pictures. This is another example of such art," he wrote.
But, people still feel that the photographer lacked empathy towards the situation during this complicated crisis.
To see the full photoshoot and statement head to his website.
