Nina Berman – Purple Hearts

Free entry

The Purple Heart is a military decoration for members of the US armed forces wounded or killed during combat with the enemy. It is also the oldest military award of the country. As much as it serves to honour individuals' bravery and sacrifice, it also creates a community for veterans which is concerned with their welfare and rehabilitation. It is estimated that over 35,000 Purple Hearts have been awarded during the conflict in Iraq.

Nina Berman began to photograph and interview wounded American soldiers after their return from Iraq in 2003. This endeavour has resulted in a series of intimate portraits showing the soldiers in their private spaces or in military hospitals or bases, away from the ceremonies and parades. As Nina says:

"I want to see the soldier alone in a quiet space, as each confronts his or her sacrifice and considers the experience of war and life ahead as disabled veterans. There is a curious divide between individuals who live the war each day – the soldiers and veterans, their families, the people of Iraq – and those for whom war is a distant incomprehensible abstraction. My intention with this work is to make that abstraction more intimately felt."

Purple Hearts has toured museum, galleries, art shows, as well as civic spaces in the United States and Europe. Most recently the portraits were shown at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, the Milan Triennale, Melkweg Gallery, Amsterdam, and at the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh. A multitude of press reviews attest to the great impact Nina's photos have on viewers, the way they show a reality that will shock and sadden many. In the words of the New York Times: "No matter what the viewer's political position, the images add up to a complex and desolating anti-war statement."

The photographer: Nina Berman

Nina Berman (born 1960 in New York City where she still lives) is an American documentary photographer with a focus on the social and political landscape of the United States. Her images have been exhibited world-wide to extensive critical acclaim which has led her to win numerous awards and grants in art and journalism (e.g. from the World Press Photo Foundation). Nina has also published two monographs based on her work: Homeland and Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq, as well as received commissions from such renowned publications as National Geographic and Newsweek, among others.

Nina has been particularly interested in depicting the effects of war on those directly involved – the soldiers and marines, and the native populations. Purple Hearts ties in with two other series on the subject: Marine Wedding, chronicling the wedding of a Marine Sergeant severely disfigured by a suicide bomber, and Under Taliban, about Afghan women under the Taliban regime. Her images bring home the stark realities of war, often unimaginable to those watching from a safe distance.

For further information see:

www.ninaberman.com
www.purpleheartsbook.com
www.trolleybooks.com/bookSingle.php?bookId=120