Beauty is a Tactic – The War Photographs of Norfolk and Nachtwey
This is a guest post by Ottawa photographer Tony Fouhse. I featured Tony’s impressive series USER a while back and since then, I’ve been following his work. I also enjoy following his blog and I’m happy he’s agreed to contribute to Slightly Lucid.
Afghanistan 1996 - Mourning a brother killed by a Taliban rocket ©James Nachtwey
James Nachtwey and Simon Norfolk take their cameras to war, not exclusively, but a lot. Both have an “eye” (though I prefer the word “brain”) that can, and usually does, turn the horror they witness into beautiful photographs. Both turn these beautiful images into objects (prints) that are also beautiful. They both show their work in private and public galleries (as well as in the traditional press, on the internet and in books.)
Both have been criticized for this…..turning horror into beauty and hanging it on walls.
(Of course, these aren’t the only two photographers/artists whose war work is beautiful and exhibited. I use them here as a case in point.)
At last year’s New York Photo Festival, in answer to a question about how war and beauty go together, Norfolk used the phrase “beauty is a tactic”.
The idea of turning war photos (or any photos of human suffering) into beautiful commodities raises all kinds of issues. But this one phrase, “beauty is a tactic”, neatly tips the discussion into more positive territory.
I believe that beauty reaches farther into the human psyche than almost anything else. I also believe that these photographers photographs have a certain quality that elevates them, that makes them worth, somehow, more than standard press photos of carnage, mayhem and horror; press photos that get consumed in one sitting and are thrown out with the garbage the next day.
In order to get people to look and to react to the state of the world these days new tactics must be employed. Beauty is one of them.
Kosovo 1999 - Imprint of a man killed by Serbs ©James Nachtwey
Afghanistan: Chronotopia ©Simon Norfolk
Israel/Palestine: Mnemosyne ©Simon Norfolk
About Tony Fouhse:
USER ©Tony Fouhse
Tony Fouhse is an Ottawa based photographer. USER, his series of portraits of crack addicts has been been criticized for being beautiful. He will be exhibiting the latest USER images in Ottawa, at Gallery La Petite Mort, in May, 2009 and at IPS Gallery in Montreal in June, 2009.
You can take a look at Tony’s work on his website and you can keep up todate with his news and views at his blog.
About Aislinn
Aislinn Leggett is a Montreal-based photographer. You can learn more about her work on her website and on her personal blog. You can also follow her Twitter @aislinnleggett and on Facebook.
