Robert Acosta by Nina Berman
If you call Amsterdam (or somewhere nearby) home, JBG artist Nina Berman will be showing work from her Purple Hearts series at The Melkweg, a non-profit cultural center in Amsterdam in November.
Nina Berman on her work: “Since October 2003, I have been making portraits of American soldiers who were severely wounded in the Iraq War. I seek them out in their hometowns after they have been discharged from military hospitals. I photograph them alone, mainly in their rooms, which feel still and heavy. I avoid the homecoming parades, the purple hearts ceremonies, the yellow ribbons and events with politicians. I want to see the soldier alone in a quiet space, as each confronts his or her sacrifice and considers the experience of war and life ahead as disabled veterans. Before I photograph, I interview them and record these interviews. When seen together, the words and images create a complex, sometimes contradictory portrait of the cost of war. Meeting so many disabled young men and women was deeply disturbing to me. I felt responsible because they had fought in my name and I felt the reality of my own privilege.
There is a curious divide between individuals who live the war each day – the soldiers and veterans, their families, the people of Iraq – and those for whom war is a distant incomprehensible abstraction. My intention with this work is to make that abstraction more intimately felt”.
The exhibition opens November 3rd and will run until November 28th. The Melkweg is located at Lijnbaansgracht 234a. See their FAQ page for more infomation and directions on how to get there.
Comments