Nick Danziger at The Founders' Gallery

Rarely do I write that a show is a "must see," but this is one of those occasions. Coming at a time when the world is caught in a jam of international political juggernauts, jackknifing amid the toxic cloud of events emanating from Syria, here's an exhibition that artfully reveals the impact of past conflicts via the currency of women refugees. Handled remarkably sensitively 11 Women Facing War at The Founders' Gallery presents the work of photojournalist Nick Danziger, commencing with a 2001 Red Cross tour and research project assessing the unique needs of female refugees.



Nick Danziger, Mariatu

Danziger visited Sierra Leone, Palestine, Israel, Afghanistan, Colombia, and the Balkans, documenting the harsh reality of living conditions via a series of portraits and documentary-style images combined with first-person accounts. Stories are told not just through imagery but also concise text panels and video. Undoubtedly there are questions surrounding a male artist capturing the lives of what appear as female victims and whether there are cultural norms that may have been transgressed. However, Danziger transcends these concerns in his personal mission from 2008 to re-trace the lives of eleven females. He located all but a young girl in Afghanistan. Apparently Mah-Bibi had died along with the younger siblings in her care.

Most striking to me is that all but one were still living in their homelands, many still struggling to find an even keel. Only Mariatu Kamara, who lost her hands to rebels, had moved away. Now living in Toronto, she'll tell her story in a free public program at the U of C Taylor Family Digital Library Gallery Hall on Wednesday September 4th (reception at 4:30pm, lecture at 5pm).


The Founders' Gallery: http://www.themilitarymuseums.ca/gallery-founders
Nick Danziger: 11 Women Facing War continues until December 2.


Dick Averns is an interdisciplinary artist and writer whose exhibitions and performances have been presented internationally. He teaches at the Alberta College of Art + Design, and his writing has appeared in Canadian Art, Front, On Site Review, and many catalogues. He is Akimblog's Calgary correspondent and can be followed @DickAverns on Twitter.