Bangcock Post
August 31, 2023
By Patcharawalai Sanyanusin
BACC exhibits horror of war, past and present
A collection of rare photographs taken in various countries facing war and conflict by American photojournalist James Nachtwey will be displayed in Thailand for the first time on the 7th floor of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, from Sept 5 to Nov 26.
Organised by the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, "James Nachtwey: Memoria Exhibition" is a large-scale retrospective show that reveals war's tragic effects on both combatants and civilians through 126 powerful pictures by Nachtwey, who has been hailed as one of the greatest documentary war photographers of our time.
He is an extraordinary observer and an acute witness, who has devoted his career to documenting some of the most crucial issues of contemporary history. Over the past 42 years, including his 34 years as a contract photographer for Time magazine, he has covered nearly every armed conflict in the world.
Each image in this exhibition represents a fragment of a memory, captured within the continuum of the events Nachtwey experienced. It was intended to reach a mass audience during the time at which these events were taking place, as a way of raising public consciousness; one element among many in the process of change.
Also displayed will be a short film of Nachtwey's interview directed by Thomas Nordanstad and a documentary about war photography directed by Christian Frei, who followed Nachtwey for two years into wars in Indonesia, Kosovo and Palestine. He was able to film this by using special micro-cameras which were attached to Nachtwey's camera.
Nachtwey has had numerous solo exhibitions in places including the International Centre of Photography in New York, Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, Palazzo Reale in Milan, and Fotografiska in Stockholm.
His upcoming Bangkok debut will also be his first time in Asia Pacific and it will unveil his latest images showing the current circumstances in Ukraine for the first time.
Bangkok Art and Culture Centre is located on the Pathumwan intersection and opens daily from 10am to 8pm except Monday. There is no admission fee.