Critique 01 International Center of Photography

Upon entering the International Center of Photography to view exhibits featuring the works of Robert Capa, Eugene Smith, Susan Meiselas and Tinttype there is hardly notice of anything out of the normal structure of a typical visual environment; that is until we enter the lower level filled with poignant yet disturbing suspended works of Meiselas. Each artist strived and succeeded to reveal the nature of human beings, corrupt, war enduring, and chaos producing.
Each exhibit carried a striking image of historical events and crisis from World War II to radical reform. Robert Capa was the subject of the entrance level, filled with portraits of political officials into the natural world of Peru. Of Capas works, one struck me most titled “Mucash fishing,” of a young boy in tribal attire spear fishing. The reason this caught my attention was the attention to detail on the boy’s spear, and the natural environment to display the daily lives of the Peruvian tribal. Wondering into the world of Eugene Smith’s “Living with the Dead” we find solitude in black and white images of World World II, its destruction and silent burials at sea. Onto “America in Tinttype,” a rather different exhibit that didn’t seem to suit the idea of the exhibition as a whole, laid tiny sepia pieces, displaying personal portraits of family which offered a rather warm feeling compared to the works previously observed.
We now enter the final exhibit, leading us into the basement of the center, and into the world of the most disturbing yet true depiction of humans. Wholesome and captivating were the works of Susan Meiselas collection of “In History”. The only collection of images shown in color captured the vivid emotion of fear, rage and ultimately the remorse and sadness of death. A segment of her works included images from Kurdistan 1991 and Nicaragua circa 1979 during a time of turmoil and revolution.
Down the stairs and straight into the realm of human demise in Kurdistan. Images of clothing, human segments, and rubble, organized in such a way that we can realize the order in an almost flipbook manner. The next room included a slide show of the works, and captions, one read “No one knew why the massacre occurred, there was really no reason.” This line stood out because in the course of history, people choose to take the radical action instead of the time consuming peaceful alternate. As we roundabout into a room filled with suspended prints. I was drawn to one image of two children lying bloody on the ground, eyes wide open. Emotionally inclined, it was enraging to me that grown men were able to take the lives of the innocent, too young to be aware of their surroundings, and too naïve to know why it was their turn, only to show the world that they are serious about their effort.
The experience of the visit is one of such impact. Provoking the pessimistic thoughts about extent of cruelty humans are capable of, from political lies, to manipulation, into the infliction of mass murder on other beings for being different. It was heart retching connecting these images of history to the world we lead today, where we are reluctant to learn from the past, but regress to the actions of others.