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Open Wound: Chechnya 1994-2003
The collapse of Russian communism in 1991 resounded to the shudder of an empire. Soviet imperialism and empiricism was dead and lands, nations, and peoples would henceforth be free from the tyranny of the communist diktat. But it also sounded the death knell of a small, impoverished, and forgotten land-locked state in the Caucasus which had the misfortune to be of geopolitical importance. Stanley Greene's photographs in Open Wound are so powerful as to make Chechnya our responsibility. He is unashamed to use guilt, with his painter's eye, to relate the deeds of men in Chechnya to our own conduct.
- GenresPhotography
220 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2003
42 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 7, 2017
A few weeks ago a colleague from when we worked at the San Francisco Art Institute, wrote to say that Stanley Greene had died. All that she mentioned was that she did not realize he lived in Paris. Googling his name, I discovered that he had become a famous war photographer.
On the internet, there were many tributes, including this one on the Time website: http://time.com/stanley-greene/ It includes a 15-minute video of Stanley telling how he had become a war photographer. It was odd to hear his voice after 35+ years. I only knew him slightly, but he was his own person in the early 1980s.
The Multnomah County Library has a copy of Stanley's book, Open Wound: Chechnya 1994-2003. It goes well beyond being a book of photographs about the Chechen war and is an indictment of war of any kind. It includes the history of the Chechen resistance from the 17th century, a map of Chechnya, the national anthem, statements by Stalin, Yeltsin and Putin, a statement from the president of Chechnya to Human Rights Watch, incredible essays, scans from Stanley's journals in Chechnya, details about each photograph, a list of journalists who were murdered or are missing in Chechnya, etc. etc. It is inclusive and magnanimous. Many of the images are difficult to look at, but somehow you understand the compassion in taking them. I've been thinking about this book since I opened it for the first time.
On the internet, there were many tributes, including this one on the Time website: http://time.com/stanley-greene/ It includes a 15-minute video of Stanley telling how he had become a war photographer. It was odd to hear his voice after 35+ years. I only knew him slightly, but he was his own person in the early 1980s.
The Multnomah County Library has a copy of Stanley's book, Open Wound: Chechnya 1994-2003. It goes well beyond being a book of photographs about the Chechen war and is an indictment of war of any kind. It includes the history of the Chechen resistance from the 17th century, a map of Chechnya, the national anthem, statements by Stalin, Yeltsin and Putin, a statement from the president of Chechnya to Human Rights Watch, incredible essays, scans from Stanley's journals in Chechnya, details about each photograph, a list of journalists who were murdered or are missing in Chechnya, etc. etc. It is inclusive and magnanimous. Many of the images are difficult to look at, but somehow you understand the compassion in taking them. I've been thinking about this book since I opened it for the first time.
September 7, 2015
A gut-wrenching look at the genocidal efforts of the Russian government against the people of Chechnya. This is not a book for those of you with a weak stomach.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews