EXHIBITION: SOUTH WAR

“At present there are 43 conflicts taking place on our planet. Once, the battlefield was the place of devastation, now it is streets, alleyways, schools and places of worship.” South is a collective of award-winning photographers dedicated to documenting these conflicts, under threat of censorship, opposition and loss of life and limb. Rising above these considerable challenges, this group of visionary photographers have assembled an exemplary collection of their work at the Australian Centre for Photography. The exhibitions images range widely in temporal and geographic setting, from Vietnam in ’65 to present day Afghanistan, and attempt to reveal the impact these conflicts have on both civilians and military and the shattered lives they leave behind. They are images that have shaped public opinion, pursued humanism in the ugly face of war and, each in their own way influenced the course of history. In this time when conflicts are at an unprecedented high, it seems mainstream media coverage is at an unprecedented low, making this exhibition all the more important. For your dose of social conscience, a little bit of education and some top-quality photographs from leading war photographers, you can’t ask for much more than South: War.

Until Nov 21, Australia Centre for Photography, 257 Oxford Street Paddington, acp.org.au