My America
Photograph by Christopher Morris/ Agency VII
At a time when we're barely recovering from election obsession, and in a town already consumed by inauguration planning, "My America," the Christopher Morris show at Zone Zero, strikes a nerve. Drawn from Morris's book chronicling the George W. Bush presidency, the images in the exhibit deliberately turn away from the figure at the center of power and instead scrutinize those in the concentric layers around him, from the inner circle of dignitaries to the secret service agents to the adoring crowd. Within the security bubble that surrounds every public presidential event, Morris often closes in on details, precisely framing lips above a flag T-shirt or diamonds picking up the sheen of a green suit. The conservative fashion choices of his subjects seem oddly in sync with the spare, cool formality of his photographs.
Jean-Louis Atlan of Zone Zero (left) with Christopher Morris of VII (right) at the opening of "My America" at Zone Zero
Photograph by Elizabeth Krist
At the opening, Morris said of his aesthetic, "It's a Republican style for me," and insisted that it didn't work nearly as well when it came to photographing Democrats. In the first Bush term, fears in the aftermath of 9/11 fed a growing paranoia among those in power--an atmosphere that Morris jokingly likened to the X-Files with an ominous soundtrack. In many of his portraits from those years, even the selective exclusion of the eyes stealthily reinforces a seeming lack of humanity, as if Morris returned after years of covering conflict abroad for TIME magazine to find a disturbingly sterile homeland. But he now seems hopeful in the wake of the recent presidential election. He's excited to see what will happen the first time that President Obama goes out in public, and he's calling his next project New America.
Opening of "Invasion 68: Prague" at the Katzen Arts Center
Photograph by Elizabeth Krist
Despite all the red, white, and blue in the Christopher Morris images, we recognize their emotional coolness. Contrast that to the Josef Koudelka exhibit at the Katzen Arts Center, "Invasion 68: Prague." This is just as political a show in its way, but here we can't help feeling the dynamic heat in those black-and-white images, even though they were made 40 years ago.
When the Soviets invaded Prague on August 21, 1968, Josef Koudelka had just given up his career as an aeronautical engineer to concentrate on photography. Only the day before, he had returned from Romania, where he had been photographing gypsies. For the next seven days he shot feverishly, producing 10,000 frames--of occupying soldiers manning their tanks, of protesting crowds waving flags in the streets, and of his wounded countrymen. The pictures were smuggled out of the country and distributed by Magnum a year later, creating a sensation. The work is legendary, not only for the bravery of the photographer, but also for the immediacy of the images.
Invasion by Warsaw Pact troops, Prague, Czechoslovakia, August 1968
Photograph by Josef Koudelka, Magnum
Koudelka rarely appears in public here in the US, so for days there was an excited buzz about his coming. He won me over at the opening with his refusal to contribute to the mythmaking. When a visitor began to question him about his narrative themes, he dismissed the very idea. As he tells us, someone woke him up at 4am when the Russians arrived, and he simply grabbed his camera and ran out into the street. He just reacted in moments to what was happening, and it changed his life, forcing him to leave his country and confirming his future as a photographer. These remarkable pictures were published anonymously, and for 16 years Koudelka's identity was concealed to protect his family. His book is dedicated to his parents, who never saw these photographs.
We owe our respect to photographers who are not intimidated by coercive power, whether in the inner corridors of the White House or on the front line of an invasion.
-------------------------------------------------FotoWeek at a Glance for Thursday, November 20:
LUMAS Gallery Grand Opening Celebration
DATE: 11/20/2008
WHEN: 6:00PM - 11:00PM
WHERE: LUMAS Washington, DC
3307 M Street, NW
Suite D
Washington, DC 20007
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Tel: 202.510.9725
www.lumas.com
COST: Free, Open to the public
-------------------------FotoWeek opening of Women by Women: A Juried Exhibition of the Women Photojournalists of Washington (WPOW).
DATE: 11/20/2008
WHEN: 6:30PM - 8:30PM
WHERE: Sewall-Belmont House and Museum
144 Constitution Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
View Google Map >>
Tel: 202.546.1210
www.sewallbelmont.org
Hours:
Tue-Friday 11-3 and sat 12-4
Closed sun and mon and other hours by appointment
COST: Free--donations are welcome
