Paul
Seawright, Camp Boundary, 2002, Courtesy Imperial War Museum |
This exhibition comprises 10 large format photographs, created by Paul Seawright
in response to his recent travels in Afghanistan. In June 2002, Seawright was
commissioned by the Imperial War Museum, London, to travel to Afghanistan to
investigate landscapes that had been contaminated with exploded mines and to
create works in response to his experience. Seawright avoids the exotic vision
of Afghanistan as the spectacle of ruins portrayed by the media. His photographs
are sparse and understated, silent and depopulated, more concerned with the
underlying causes of war than with the visible scars left behind.
The exhibition has been commissioned by the Imperial War Museum, London, and
is curated by Angela Weight, its Keeper of the Department of Art. The exhibition
tour is organised in collaboration with the ffotogallery, Cardiff, Oriel Mostyn
Gallery, Llanduno, Wales, and IMMA. Paul Seawright’s visit to Afghanistan was
made possible with assistance from Landmine Action, the HALO Trust and the United
Nations.
A fully-illustrated catalogue, published by the Imperial War Museum, with essays
by Mark Durden, Reader in the History and Theory of Photography, University
of Derby, and John Stathatos, artist and writer, accompanies the exhibition
(price €24.00).