“‘The Unknown Soldier’ is a powerfully honest look into the harsh toll that war takes on those who wage it. Each of the jury members selected one photographer from the entrants to be awarded a special $1,000 grant.
I hope the images transcend the narrow and simplistic confines of “war” and encourage us to examine the way we engage each other-both friend and stranger-at its most basic, day-to-day level, as it is these subtle, seemingly innocuous interactions that will ultimately lead us either to peace…or to the continuum and carnage of war.Įditors’ Note: This project was also singled out for distinction during the LensCulture Portrait Awards 2015 by juror Deborah Dragon. It forces us to confront our fears and inhibitions about life, death, sexuality, sickness, relationships, etc. The images can be uncomfortable for the viewer. It presents an opportunity to open a dialogue about issues we are not necessarily comfortable with…and also issues that we are responsible for. Ultimately, “The Unknown Soldier” is not about war. “The Unknown Soldier” highlights those men and women less “seen.” These cases are true but a bit distorting-a majority of our wounded soldiers are The public is accustomed to seeing former soldiers on TV, running the marathon or swimming in the Paralympics. I was attempting to capture their life following their injury. I photographed subjects across the country: in hospitals, (Brook Army Medical Center and Walter Reed Medical Center among others), in their homes and amongst their families. I began photographing “The Unknown Soldier” series. “The Unknown Soldier” is a series of large scale (approximately 5 ft across) photographs of our young and severely wounded soldiers returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.ĭuring the years that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were raging, I knew then that I needed to address an often unseen consequence of our (all of our) actions. We reco gnize it instantly: the human condition. A beauty that transcends the glossy, mass-produced images force-fed by the media.
Discover more inspiring work from all 44 of the winners, finalists, jurors’ picks and student spotlight award winners. This powerful and touching series was selected as a finalist in the Portrait category of the Magnum Photography Awards 2016.
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