mono.kultur #37 / Джеймс Нахтвей: Осколки времени

"mono.kultur #37 JAMES NACHTWEY: SHARDS OF TIME “To turn our backs is a form of acceptance.” Autumn 2014 / English / 15 x 20 cm / 52 Pages Read a rare and extensive interview with legendary war photographer James Nachtwey Having witnessed and reported on the defining conflicts and tragedies of the past three decades – from the revolutions of South America and Eastern Europe to the famines in Africa, from 9/11 to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – James Nachtwey’s photographs focus on the costs of war: the suffering of civilians, the damage and the scars. Inspired by the press images from the Vietnam War that told a very different story to the official government statements, James Nachtwey found his calling that he would pursue with determination and compassion that are admirable: to document the effects of war, terror and disease. In the hope of raising awareness and inspiring intervention and change, his photographs are neither easy to look at nor easy to forget. There is no doubt that Nachtwey’s images are a challenge – to the powers that be by proposing an unflinching look at the reality on the ground, at the effects of politics on human lives, but also to us as their audience, by questioning our implication and, quite simply, by opening our eyes to the world. In a rare and frank interview with mono.kultur, James Nachtwey talked about his struggles with photography, the different realities of war, and why images have the power to create change. Graphically, the issue is at its most reduced, giving ample space to let the words and images unfold: coming in two separate booklets, it presents a personal and uncommented selection of James Nachtwey’s work in one, and a highly intriguing and challenging conversation in the other. Interview by Kai von Rabenau Photography by James Nachtwey Design by Edwin van Gelder/Mainstudio mono.kultur is an independent interview series based in Berlin. Our concept is as simple as it is elegant: one artist / one conversation / one issue. No more, no less. And so each publication is dedicated exclusively and entirely to one artist, edited with care and in close collaboration with the artist. Each issue is redesigned entirely around the artist and their work."