Sean Hemmerle

Them is a body of portraits of Iraqis and Afghans, all shot in a similar fashion. Each subject is portrayed frontally with no direction from the artist, allowing the individuals photographed to (re)present themselves. The portraits depict average people in dire circumstances, a person in a hostile landscape. New York-based Sean Hemmerle travelled to both Afghanistan and Iraq following the events of September 11, 2001. Having witnessed the World Trade Center attacks, Hemmerle felt that another response to these events was necessary. His resulting images are compassionate studies of people under attack by his own government. It is important to note that Hemmerle himself was once a sergeant in the US Army. His travels to these lands and his photographic practice should be understood as an alternative type of »shooting.«
Hemmerle has exhibited nationally and internationally including in the Museum of Modern Art, the International Center for Photography, New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. His work can be found in public and private collections worldwide. It has also been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, Time Magazine.