War Stories, exhibited at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s Bakalar Gallery, presents photographs as well as video installations by contemporary artists Nina Berman, Jenny Holzer, David Thorne, Katya Sander, Ashley Hunt, Sharon Hayes, and Andrea Geyer. The work centers around the current war in
Nina Berman shows eight large scale photographs of wounded soldiers from the Iraq War and provides text by the soldiers themselves. The men and woman speak of their reasons for joining whether it be to avoid violence in their hometowns, the look of the uniform, or lack of work, the motives are all very different. All between the ages of nineteen and twenty-three, none really knew what was in store. 
Copyright Nina Berman
Spc. Tyson Johnson, 22, wounded in a mortar attack on Abu Ghraib prison
Berman has been criticized for her commercial and somewhat beautiful lighting, however I think it only makes the images more appealing. We are looking at the injured, the men and women who have risked their lives and changed themselves inside and out forever, most barely making it out alive. Shooting at night, in the heat of the early afternoon, and inside, if Berman had not used such bright lighting techniques, there would have been more obscure shadows or simply just darker photographs. I can understand that a less styled lighting scenario may be appropriate for the subject at hand, however, I really feel as though I can see the subject without searching through the shadows to read the image. There is a very contemporary style of using this spotlight effect when making a portrait and I think Berman has only used it to her advantage. She has taken a lighting technique now often found in photographs on gallery walls and replaced the portrait sitter with the deserving heroes of today. I think the images catch the attention of any passerby and for me that is the point. We as Americans must be knowledgeable about the events in which our country is engaged. With all of the falsities surrounding this war and this presidency, there are people like Berman and the other artists in the War Stories exhibit who have chosen to make it their responsibility to show the rest of us what the human consequence of this war really is. Some may disagree about the formal qualities of Berman’s images, but none argue that this subject matter is anything less than top priority.
Looking at the presentation, I think the show was set up well except for the Jenny Holzer space which I felt looked bare and inappropriately displayed. There was the feeling of a library or a study area to the space in that the atmosphere was quiet; there were videos to be viewed with headphones, a separate room for a more surround and intimate experience, as well as the rooms with the Jenny Holzer and Nina Berman pieces. At this point I really do not think there is anything I would change except the Holzer area. I was very pleased with the set-up as a whole and felt comfortable to make my way through each room at a slow pace and most important, learn. The whole atmosphere was inspiring, exactly how I feel in a library. I applaud Lisa Tung for the show she has put together. I hope it is visited often and especially by those contemplating their choice to go to war.
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