Dark Heart of Europe is a series of photographs taken by Giovanni Troilo which won the contemporary issues category at World Press Photo 2015. However, Troilo has been accused of misrepresenting the town of Charleroi in which the images were taken. The mayor of the industrial Belgian town has described the study as a serious distortion of reality. Troilo has since admitted that some of his images were staged in order to recreate issues or scenes which he says typify Charlerloi, but he argues this does not affect the journalistic integrity of his work
An image from the controversial series Dark Heart of Europe taken by Giovanni Troilo which won the contemporary issues category at World Press Photo 2015. Photograph: Giovanni Troilo
An image from the controversial series ‘Dark Heart of Europe’ taken by Giovanni Troilo which won the Contemporary Issues category at World Press Photo 2015. Trolio has been accused of misrepresenting the town of Charleroi in which the images were taken.
The captions written by Troilo to accompany his images – as well as an explanatory passage posted on his own site – also landed him in hot water with the mayor of Charlerloi. This caption applied to this image read: ‘Maitre Doberman and Klara la Chienne, his wife, receive guests in a building that at glance appears abandoned.’ Photograph: Giovanni Troilo
Troilo says of this photo: ‘J. keeps his gun hidden in a box in the woods of Bois du Cazier. This is more secure than keeping them at home since he regularly gets visits from the police.’ Photograph: Giovanni Troilo
‘A box holds the daily dose of drugs given to calm patients at an asylum.’ Photograph: Giovanni Troilo
‘The newest and tallest building in Charleroi is the 75-meter-high police station.’ Photograph: Giovanni Troilo
This image was captioned: ‘Philippe lives in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the town.’ But Magnette said the man was in fact a well-known local figure who ran a wine bar. Photograph: Giovanni Troilo
