By Yamileyka Rojas
The latest exhibition at Fruitlands Museum exemplifies the power portal of message from camera lens to pixels. Ben Brody’s “Afghanistan: Endgame” and Edward Burtynsky’s “The Industrial Sublime” leave spectators with lasting images of irrefutable reality.
Modern warfare is brought to our consciousness in the visual depiction of its absurdity and brutality. With his perspective of both soldier and civilian, Ben Body’s work as a photographer in Afghanistan delivers raw footage of America’s longest war. The photographs display the soldiers interacting with civilians and their never-ending lookout for explosives and possible attacks from the enemy. We can no longer turn a blind eye to the cities left in ruins, the injured bodies of innocent civilians, and the young American and Afghan soldiers who fought side by side.
Photographer Edward Burtynsky illustrates a paradox, “The Industrial Sublime,” in which the human need for resources and protecting a delicate ecosystem remains a perpetual struggle. Vivid pictures showcase the degree to which an industrial society has transformed nature. These photographs allow introspection of our human impact on the Earth as well as our work towards a hopeful future.
The exhibits were on temporary display through June 21 at Fruitlands Museum, located in Harvard, Mass. The photographs may be found at www.photobrody.com and www.edwardburtynsky.com, while www.fruitlands.org/on_exhibit provides further information about Fruitlands Museum and its upcoming exhibits.