Edmund Clark’s The Mountains of Majeed is a reflection on the end of “Operation Enduring Freedom” in Afghanistan through photography, found imagery and Taliban poetry. Based at Bagram Airfield, the largest American base in Afghanistan, and formerly home to 40,000, Clark examines the experience of the vast majority of military personnel and contractors who have serviced Enduring Freedom without ever leaving the base. Following on from his perpetual interests in security, legality and ideas of post-truth, this show delves into the contemporary condition of conflict as it evolves through social perspectives.
He notes: “There is distance between these mountains. Vistas of tranquillity fabricated by hand from canvas, wood and paint. Images from an enclave captured in high resolution by the latest digital technology. Two cultures divided by landscape and time. Ever present mountains forever beyond boots confined for a duration, within walls of occupation, on a ground of gravel and tarmac. And there is convergence. Both are mountains of the imagination. Both are representations of enduring freedom; and in both the mountains belong to Majeed.”
At Flowers Gallery, London, from 27 January. For more information: www.flowersgallery.com
Credits:
1. Edmund Clark, from The Mountains of Majeed, 2014. Courtesy of Flowers Gallery.