Claire Beckett's Simulating Iraq

I got a chance to see Claire Beckett's show Simulating Iraq the other day at the Bernard Toale Gallery. Beckett has been photographing American troops, pre-deployment, at training camps across the country for the last couple of years. She has set out to examine the psychological and physical gravity of what it means to serve in the armed military forces, and how this participation impacts her young subjects. I think there is the potential for tremendous power in work of this nature, however, actualizing this potential requires a deep emotional connection to the subjects. I have not been able to find this emotional resonance in Beckett's work. Perhaps this is a result of emotionally reclusive subjects who are grappling with their tentative futures, or maybe it's due to the manner in which Beckett has approached them.

The exhibit will be up until November 10th so anyone in the Boston-area who hasn't seen it yet should go before it's taken down.







From Top to Bottom:

Blue House, 2007

SPC Brandon Jones, 2007

PVT Dan Floyd, 2007

All Images © Claire Beckett