Exhibition: Stephen Bulger Gallery - Larry Towell - Afghanistan

Exhibition Dates:  October 25 – November 22    

TORONTO, Oct. 16, 2014 /CNW/ - The gallery is pleased to present its seventh exhibition of work by the renowned photojournalist Larry Towell. This exhibition concentrates on photographs made in Afghanistan between 2008 and 2011, the subject of a major monograph published by Aperture Foundation.

For 30 years, Afghanistan has known only war. With this work, Towell presents a moving and in-depth look at the country, whose citizens and landscapes are affected by conflict on a daily basis. A veteran conflict reporter, Towell has worked in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Vietnam, Mexico, Africa, Palestine and Afghanistan. This work offers a tour de force examination of survival, exile, loss and recuperation. Towell shows the war from a variety of perspectives--from military camps to domestic interiors--and offers depictions of US soldiers, landmine victims, ordinary Afghan citizens, cityscapes and weaponry, as well as a rare series of Taliban portraits.

The exhibition displays key photographs taken over the course of his time spent in Afghanistan, and begins with his famous image taken at Ground Zero in New York City on September 11, 2001. His 35mm work seen together with his panoramas offer an insightful report that bears witness to the lives of Afghanis living amongst conflict.

This new publication presents a facsimile of the photographer's original artist maquette, complete with his handwritten notes, stories, and over 350 images, including collages. A true art object, this book conveys the complexity of the conflict, which has roots that go deep into historical and tribal grievances. Beautifully produced in a limited edition, this extraordinary compilation offers an important historical document on present-day Afghanistan seen through its social, political and environmental landscapes.

Larry Towell is the first Canadian born member of the prestigious Magnum Photos Agency.  Towell's work is exhibited and collected around the world. He is the author of 11 books, four original music CDs and two films, including Indecisive Moments which won a 2008 Achievement in Filmmaking Award at the New York independent Film and Video Festival.  Towell has been the recipient of numerous photography awards that include several World Press and Pictures of the Year awards, the Henri Cartier-Bresson Award, a Eugene Smith, the Oskar Barnak, Ernst Haas, Roloff Beny, Alfred Eisenstadt, and a Hasselblad award.

SOURCE: Stephen Bulger Gallery

Stephen Bulger Gallery, 1026 Queen Street West Toronto Canada, 416.504.0575, [email protected]