DISPATCH: War Photographs in Print, 1854-2008 examines the production of war photographs, the role of photojournalists, and their collaboration with picture editors in the press. From Roger Fenton's collodion plate photographs taken during the Crimean War (1853-1856) to Luc Delahaye's images of the recent conflict in Afghanistan (2001-present), the photographic representation of war has evolved dramatically in the occidental press over the past 150 years. By comparing original prints with their reproductions in magazines, and in exibiting other modes through which visual news is disseminated, DISPATCH reveals that taking a shot is only one step in the process of illustrating a war.
Picture editors and art directors have always selected, trimmed, ordered and sequenced war photographs to suit their particular needs. This exhibition views these photographs not as windows open to the world, but as representations that are the product of changing editorial figures, aesthetic priorities and historical contexts.
Contributors: Kate Addleman-Frankel, Thierry Gervais, Gaelle Morel, and Paul Roth
The Image Centre, 2014