“Afterwar.” Photographs by Lori Grinker

“Afterwar” by American photographer Lori Grinker is another significant exhibition at KievFotoCom, an international festival of photography, currently being held in Kyiv.

Famous American artist started her career as a sports reporter. She took photos of 13-year-old Mike Tyson, who she documented for the following decade. Since then, in addition to her coverage of events such as the destruction of the World Trade Center, she has delved into several long-term projects: “The Invisible Thread: A Portrait of Jewish American Women,” and “Afterwar: Veterans from a World in Conflict” which she presents in Kyiv.

“Afterwar” originated in Israel and the Occupied Territories just prior to the first intifada, in 1986. Grinker’s intention was to produce a photo-essay about Arab-Jewish cooperation, but she did not encounter many instances of cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis. The artist did, however, meet Israeli veterans who inspired her to document their lives after war during the rehabilitation process. In these former soldier’s experiences, she heard echoes of the experiences of Vietnam veterans from the United States.

In 1989, with support from Life Magazine, Grinker traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia to photograph ex-combatants from different sides of the region’s conflicts. Thus began a 15-year journey seeking out other veterans’ stories.

Art Arsenal Gallery
28 Ivana Mazepy, 288-5140.
Through Nov. 5.
From 11 a.m. till 7 p.m., every day except Monday.
http://www.kievfotocom.com/

Oksana Faryna for "Kyiv Post"