In an era saturated with images and fleeting attention, Spanish visual artist Richard Le Manz used his appearance at the Xposure International Photography Festival 2026 to challenge long-held assumptions about the purpose of photography. Speaking during The Decisive Moment: Photography as a Transformative Force, a session moderated by photography expert Lars Boering, Le Manz argued that images should not simply be admired, but actively engaged with — intellectually, ethically and emotionally — to influence understanding and decision-making.
Rejecting the idea of photography as a passive or decorative act, Le Manz stressed that the medium carries a responsibility to address urgent global issues, from climate change and sustainability to broader social and economic disruption. “Photography is not just a click,” he said. “The key is to provoke thinking. When people stop, reflect and question what they are seeing, that is when photography fulfils its real purpose.”
Reflecting on the evolution of his own practice, Le Manz identified a pivotal turning point in 2016, following the devastating earthquake in Nepal. At the time, he was preparing an exhibition of photographs taken in the Himalayas when images of the disaster began circulating worldwide.
“It was a shock,” he recalled. “I decided to transform the exhibition to help raise funds for those affected. That was when I truly understood photography’s ability to transform lives. It is more than memory, more than beauty — it is responsibility.”
Since then, Le Manz’s work has increasingly blended visual symbolism with social critique. Known for constructing conceptual images using everyday objects, including his widely recognised globe-based series, he described a deliberate shift away from purely aesthetic photography towards work designed to slow the viewer down and demand reflection.
“I use creativity, set design, and lighting to communicate ideas,” he explained. “The objective is not decoration. It is awareness.”
During the discussion, Le Manz addressed photography’s changing role in an age of digital overexposure, where images circulate endlessly yet often fail to leave a lasting emotional or intellectual impact. He argued that photographers must resist producing work that is quickly consumed and forgotten, calling instead for images that reconnect viewers with the real consequences of global challenges.
He also offered a reinterpretation of the session’s title, The Decisive Moment, drawing a distinction between his approach and that of French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. While Cartier-Bresson championed waiting for the perfect alignment of elements in candid street photography, Le Manz proposed a more urgent reading.
“We cannot wait anymore,” he said. “The decisive moment today is about acting and using photography now, with intention, to help people understand why action matters.”
Expanding on this idea, Le Manz framed his work within the context of the Anthropocene, describing photography as a witness to humanity’s growing impact on the planet. He emphasised the importance of research-led practice, noting his engagement with scientific studies, expert consultations and reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as part of projects addressing climate change, plastic pollution, and water scarcity.
He concluded by observing that constant exposure to news and images can leave audiences emotionally numb. Through photography and the way it is presented, he said, his aim is to break through this desensitisation and turn awareness into everyday, conscious action.
The conversation formed part of the 10th anniversary edition of Xposure, held under the theme A Decade of Visual Storytelling. Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), the festival is hosting 126 talks and panel discussions, 72 workshops, and 280 portfolio review sessions, alongside a comprehensive film programme and a trade exhibition showcasing imaging and visual content technologies. Xposure 2026 runs until 4 February at Aljada, Sharjah.
