The Ghosts of History examines the conflicting narratives central to the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, the aftermath, and the limits of documentary photography in reporting on a war — one still ongoing for many Iraqis.
The exhibition draws from Saman’s photographs taken in Iraq over the past two decades and is interspersed with U.S. military maps and charts, lists of Iraqi dead, redacted transcripts, satellite images, quotes and pop culture references all tied to the war in Iraq.
The pairing of Saman’s images with these materials exposes the dissonance between the photographer’s portrayal of war and official rhetoric, raising deeper questions about how narratives are crafted in war and how memory is shaped.
The Ghosts of History is a traveling exhibition organized by Magnum Photos in collaboration with the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery. Support for the exhibition has been provided by Haverford College’s Hurford Center for the Arts and Humanities and Magnum Photos.
