John Vink

John Vink, born in 1948 in Ixelles, Belgium, began working as a freelance photographer in 1971 at the age of twenty-three. 

He first studied at La Cambre in 1968. 

beginning in 1980, he undertook several long-term projects, first in Italy and then in sub-Saharan Africa, where he documented water management practices among sedentary and migrant populations. This work earned him the Eugène Smith Award in 1986.

He then joined the VU agency in Paris, and for five years devoted himself to documenting the lives of refugees around the world. He traveled to India, Mexico, Thailand, and Pakistan, among other places. This project led to the publication of the book Refugees in 1994.

In 1993, he joined the Magnum agency and became a member in 1997. He created and published Topics , a documentary photography magazine

John Vink lived in Cambodia from 2000 to 2016, where he covered the country's political and social news. His book Being 20 Years Old in Phnom Penh was published in 2000.

His photographic approach is characterized by a desire to bear witness and inform, without seeking to change the world, but by showing reality as it is. He has often worked in black and white to accentuate the tension between reality and its representation. John Vink has exhibited in numerous countries, and his works continue to be recognized for their precision and his commitment to the subjects he documents.