The Heavens by Paolo Woods and Gabriele Galimberti
The way I see it is this sort of strong diagonal line created by the edge of the pool, gives a sense of motion, gives a sense of flow of this water as it's about the cascade over, seemingly over the side of a river, with the man in it. Of course that's not going to happen but within the logic of the image, there is risk in this image and the sense of complacency in this guy enjoying himself and easily floating and when you put that within the context of finance, it takes on a new meaning.” Myles Little
What do Tax Havens look like and what do they mean?
From Delaware to Jersey; from Singapore to Panama; from the British Virgin Islands to the City of London, passing through Cayman, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, a secretive world that is quite different from what you imagine. It has been estimated that as much as $32 trillion are sheltered in tax havens worldwide, largely out of sight. That is 13 times the GDP of the United Kingdom.
Much of this money is stashed offshore by very wealthy individuals. But a growing share is owned by companies that use tax havens, often legally, to escape financial regulations or to reduce their taxes, draining the resources countries can spend on education, health care and security.
Tax havens are not an exotic tropical eccentricity, but have become a structural instrument of the globalized economy. They confront us with fundamental moral issues, involving the relationships between public and private; between companies and states; and between the haves and the have-not's.
About the photographers:
Paolo Woods (b. 1970, The Netherlands) is devoted to long-term projects that blend photography with investigative journalism. Woods has been recognized twice by World Press Photo awards and has had solo exhibitions in more than ten countries around the world. His work is in private and public collections.
Gabriele Galimberti (b. 1977, Italy) is known for his typological portrait series shot around the globe. He began his career as a commercial photographer, but has gone on to exhibit his documentary projects at venues such as Festival Images, Les Rencontres d’Arles, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The photograph above is one of the forty thought provoking images on show by thirty three of the world's leading photographers.
1%: Privilege in a Time of Global Inequality
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Comment by Myles Little:
“That image of the apartment with an infinity pool is from a project that photographs tax havens all around the world, which are legal as you know; places where the wealthy corporations and individuals can stash their money to avoid the taxes. And Singapore is one of the capitals for this and that's the Singapore skyline in the background.
And what I find interesting about it is that there are a couple of layers in this, as you say it is just simply beautiful and luxurious, infinity pools have sort of become one of the markers of luxury for whatever reason, and for the second layer as I just said, the tax haven element. And a third layer, in my reading of it, I can't speak for the photographers, is a sense of complacency in the face of impending doom, or catastrophe.
The way I see it is this sort of strong diagonal line created by the edge of the pool, gives a sense of motion, gives a sense of flow of this water as it's about the cascade over, seemingly over the side of a river, with the man in it. Of course that's not going to happen but within the logic of the image, there is risk in this image and the sense of complacency in this guy enjoying himself and easily floating and when you put that within the context of finance, it takes on a new meaning.” [Myles Little]
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