Photojournalist Richard Bickel shares story of early career, work in Cuba
THOMASVILLE — Emmy Award-winning photojournalist Richard Bickel brought a packed house to the Thomasville Center for the Arts on Thursday evening as he presented No Borders, an exhibit of his unedited images from Cuba, Apalachicola, and international travels that draw on the connections between communities that may appear worlds apart.
Welcomed by Center for the Arts Executive Director Erin Wolfe Bell, Bickel received a warm reception from the crowd, who were eager to learn more about his work and how he approached his subjects with such passion that they were willing to open their lives to him overseas.
Bickel currently lives in Apalachicola, Florida, where he maintains a gallery in the historic downtown.
However, he has spent much of his career documenting people and places through an intimate approach to photojournalism. His assignments have taken him across more than 70 countries, and his photographs have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Die Zeit, and The Times of London. He has additionally received an award from the New York Art Directors Club, and published two books of his work.
He is best known for his commitment to photographing and documenting Cubans and their everyday fight for survival.
“Across borders and cultures, he seeks out the universal threads of joy, perseverance, and human dignity,” Bell said. “Through his lens, viewers witness how joy, struggle, and the will to endure and transcend geography know no boundaries.”
Through his work, Bickel became involved in the Center for Cuban Studies. As part of his exhibit, Bickel partnered with the Center for the Arts to help raise funds for its food share program. Bickel raffled off an original Apalachicola print with all proceeds directly benefiting the Center for Cuban Studies.
Prior to the raffle, attendees had the opportunity to hear from Bickel and ask him questions about his life abroad and his subject matter in a Q&A.
“It’s truly an honor to be here,” Bickel said before opening the floor to questions.
Attendees were eager to hear what generated Bickel’s interest in Cuba and Haiti initially.
Bickel explained that both locations were considered “two mysterious, off-the-wall, off-the-map places,” in his mind.
“I began my career in Haiti actually shooting street photography and was intrigued by the depth of the culture and the resilience of the people,” Bickel said. “That was sort of duplicated by the Cubans today in terms of their struggles.”
Bickel elaborated, sharing that much like Haiti, Cuba is a veiled state, and not many Cubans had opened up about their everyday life.
“That was my goal: to investigate and to document the streets and the Cuban homes and rural areas to see what these people were all about, and there’s an awful lot to learn from them,” Bickel said. “They have nothing, but they just keep going.”
Attendees noticed in many of Bickel’s photographs at the exhibit that there were captions that told the story of the subject, and wondered how Bickel gained the trust of his subject, being an outsider.
“I try to collect information about someone’s life and not just get their face,” Bickel said. “I think it takes intuition and a long time, and I’ve gotten more comfortable.”
Bickel said he always chats with his subjects before he begins shooting, but Cubans are incredibly hospitable and open their doors and share their stories in a way some Americans may not.
“We knock on the door, and I have a fixer (local reporting partner) with me, and universally they say ‘come on in’ and serve me coffee,” Bickel said. “Now, imagine just popping into homes in America and the reception and the suspicion you’d have here.”
Bickel said the people have been hospitable and malleable, and he owes them an awful lot for the work he has been able to create.
The final question came about Bickel’s travels to India for his photography.
“I love India, and I love the chaos,” Bickel said. “I love chaos in general, but India provides as much chaos as you can find on this planet and I love to get in the middle of the crowds at the marketplaces with the cows and the fruits spilling out onto the sidewalk and just start shooting.”
As for his favorite place to photograph, Bickel said it’s probably a location he hasn’t traveled yet.
While that concluded his Q&A session for Thursday evening, Bickel looks forward to regaling more travel stories during A Seat at the Table: A Night in Cuba on Monday, September 14, from 6–9 p.m.
The night will allow guests to gather around one long table inside the galleries, surrounded by Bickel’s photographs, for a Cuban-inspired multi-course dinner influenced by his travels and experiences in Cuba. Space is limited, and reservations are required by September 8. Tickets are available for purchase at thomasvillearts.org/community.