I’ve been meaning to show you guys this work…
I’ve been printing in Eric Recktenwald’s studio recently for an upcoming show at Intermedia Arts (I’ll save that for another post), and have become enraptured with this photographer’s work. Eric has a small print of a piece from Nina Berman’s series called “Marine Wedding” hanging in the studio. It is both the saddest and most fascinating new work I have seen in a long time.
And although you have all probably been inundated with war photography by the media by now, and may feel that there is a lot of this going on, and that it is in no way unique, I think you should take a look at this series. I felt that way too, but for some reason cannot help but feel absolutely moved by these when I have begun not to feel anything for war images anymore. Her new book will be coming out soon, and I think I will have to get it.
Go to Nina’s website here, and read a New York Times article about the image (and Nina’s work in general) here. And just in case, you can go to her gallery for more images here.
Emma wrote:
Isn’t that photo amazing? I thank Phil Anderson for bringing that one to my attention.
I actually think that the challenge for someone interested in photography related to the war would be to move people like us, who are not entirely for the whole thing in the first place. So, Ms. Berman obviously did her job.
Posted on 06-Nov-08 at 10:37 am | Permalink
Tim wrote:
a friend referred this series to me a while back and that photo is powerful, and horrific. The worst part? The poor bride is damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t. If she leaves her fiancee, she’s a monster. If she stays with him, she lives with a man so disfigured, well, I’ll leave interpretation to you. The look on her face says it all.
Posted on 06-Nov-08 at 5:03 pm | Permalink
Allison wrote:
actually, supposedly the story goes that they were pressured into getting married by their parents soon after he returned home. they divorced less than two years later, and now the guy lives by himself in a trailer with a dog (nina burman has turned her camera towards him exclusively now). they are still friends.
Posted on 06-Nov-08 at 11:21 pm | Permalink