International award-winning photographer Platon, who has shot portraits for a wide range of publications, is the next speaker at The University of Texas at Arlington's Maverick Speakers Series.
Platon will present "Powerful Portraits" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 5, at Texas Hall, 701 W. Nedderman Drive. In his presentation, he will share his photographs and showcase stories of those who live on either side of privilege in order to break down barriers and highlight our shared humanity.
Throughout his career, Platon has photographed some of the world's most prominent figures, including six American presidents. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Esquire, GQ, British Vogue, George, and The Sunday Times magazine. He has also produced over 20 covers for TIME magazine, and his 2007 cover photo of Vladimir Putin was awarded first prize at the World Press Photo Contest.
In 2008, he signed a multiyear contract with The New Yorker. As the staff photographer, he has produced several large-scale photo essays, two of which won American Society of Magazine Editors awards in 2009 and 2010.
Platon has teamed up with Human Rights Watch to help celebrate those who fight for equality and justice in countries suppressed by political forces. In 2011, he was honored with a Peabody Award for his collaboration on the topic of Russia's civil society with The New Yorker and Human Rights Watch.
In 2013, Platon founded The People's Portfolio, a foundation that seeks to create a visual language that breaks barriers, expands dignity, fights discrimination, and enlists the public to support human rights around the world. He is currently on the board for arts and culture at the World Economic Forum, a steward for the Economic Growth and Social Inclusion Initiative, and creative director at large for the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tickets to see Platon are free for students, faculty, and staff, and $5 for the community. Learn more about Platon and upcoming Maverick Speakers Series events here.
UTA's Maverick Speakers Series provides a forum for today's brightest minds to examine the ideas, actions, solutions, and people that impact the world around us. In previous years, the Maverick Speakers Series has featured such renowned voices as Jack Hanna, Terry Crews, Anna Deavere Smith, Seth Meyers, Emmitt Smith, Soledad O'Brien, Bill Nye, Jane Goodall, and many more.
