Them

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.