Award-winning Belgian photojournalist Gaël Turine on capturing the tranq dope crisis

From the tranq dope crisis in Philadelphia to voodoo in Benin, Belgian photojournalist Gaël Turine speaks to Eve Jackson on arts24 about his award-winning work. Over the past 25 years, his photographs have been widely exhibited throughout Europe and the world. He’s also regularly published in the international press. Gaël Turine has taken some startling and uncomfortable photos in a series being shown in the south of France at the Visa Pour L’image photojournalism festival, entitled “The Ravages of Tranq Dope”. The photos are taken in Philadelphia – the ground zero for a new and dangerous sedative called “tranq”. A side effect of this drug can be struggling to stand upright, which is why users are commonly described in the media as “zombies”. Gaël Turine also has a parallel exhibition called “The Spirits of the Forest” about the voodoo religion in Benin at the Gacilly photo festival in Brittany.