What does it really mean to see a photograph? Canon is challenging that idea with a travelling exhibition that prioritises touch, sound and inclusion.
Canon’s World Unseen exhibition is transforming art into a sensory experience. It challenges traditional art spaces and asks who gets left behind in the rush to digitise cultural inclusion.
World Unseen, now showing in Johannesburg, is Canon’s attempt to make art more accessible for everyone, including those with visual impairments. Instead of relying on sight alone, the experience has been reimagined for people who interact with the world differently. The result is one of the most compelling exhibitions to land in South Africa this year.
At the heart of World Unseen are raised photographic prints, made using Canon’s PRISMAelevate XL software and Arizona printers. These are not just flat images on a wall. They are layered millimetre by millimetre with UV-cured ink to create texture and depth. Visitors are encouraged to run their fingers across the surface to feel faces, landscapes and fine detail. Each piece is also supported by audio descriptions, braille, and ambient soundscapes, creating a full sensory experience.
Canon partnered with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), BlindSA and the British High Commission to bring this exhibition to life. It features powerful work from renowned photographers such as Brent Stirton, Sebastião Salgado, Yagazie Emezi and Pulitzer Prize winner Muhammed Muheisen, all presented in a way that invites touch rather than demands vision.
Some of the photographs are intentionally obscured or blurred to simulate conditions like glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. For sighted visitors, it offers a rare glimpse into how millions of people around the world experience visual art. According to estimates, around 360,000 people in South Africa live with blindness, yet most cultural spaces are still designed for people who can see.
“This exhibition aligns with our commitment to inclusion and diversity by delivering a unique and empowering experience to South Africa’s visually impaired community,” says Leander Kettledas, Corporate Communications, Marketing and Sustainability Manager at Canon South Africa. The project reflects Canon’s global philosophy of Kyosei, which means living and working together for the common good.
The tech behind the prints is impressive, but it is the shift in perspective that stands out. The exhibition is not just about making art accessible, it is about questioning who art is for in the first place. Canon has taken this approach to other galleries too, including tactile exhibitions in the Netherlands and Austria featuring works like Girl with a Pearl Earring.
World Unseen is part accessibility showcase and part artistic rethink. It challenges the idea that vision is the only path to understanding. Once you have felt a photograph, really felt its textures and listened to its story, you begin to realise just how much traditional galleries leave out.
For an industry that often speaks about inclusion without actually delivering it, this is a rare case of a tech company getting it right.