Gabriela's WGSX talk - Artist Talk

Collateral Image: Portraits of Iraqi Refugees

Gabriela Bulisova, a former visiting Art Professor here at St. Mary’s gave a talk on war. Her talk was an extension of her photographic exhibition at Monty. Gabriela stated that when she was asked to be a speaker for the colloquium, that she was initially shocked because she was not a war photographer. The closest that she had been to photographing an actual war was during her time at Lebanon which was during the end of the war of 2006. However, she related that her works as a photojournalist represented other forms of war or aftermath of war that impacted not just women but also men. Her talk was focused on three main sets of her photographic works. They were Option of Last Resort. Iraqi Refugees in the United States, Iraqi Refugees, Damascus, Syria and her most recent work CONVICTIONS.

In Iraqi Refugees, Damascus, Syria, Gabriela stated that a large of number of Iraqis fled from Iraqi to neighboring countries because of the war going on in Iraq. She stated that supposedly fortunate Iraqis may sometimes be granted refugee status in the United States and be able to live there – this was the focus of Option of Last Resort. Iraqi Refugees in the United States. Many Iraqis fled to Syria such that a neighborhood in Damascus, Sayyida Zainab, is considered a hot spot for many Iraqi refugees. These Iraqi refugees live in dire conditions and because they are in Syria illegally, they can’t find decent jobs. Gabriela talked about a family she visited, the father was a doctor in Iraq but now he could not find a decent job in Syria and could barely feed his family. Another was of a woman, known as the mother of Iraqis. She gave up a part of her apartment for use as a school for Iraqi children to learn English and French. She is also the go-to person for Iraqis who are looking for housing, jobs, etc. Many Iraqis in Syria that Gabriela interviewed of photograph are anticipating the day that they would be able to go back to Iraq.

This sense of nostalgia or the feeling that things were more bearable in Iraq resonated in the tales told by Iraqis living in the United States. Many of these Iraqis were translators for the US military while in Iraq and so their lives were in danger. In Option of Last Resort. Iraqi Refugees in the United States, Gabriela took photographs of these individuals in their homes, their niches and she also played an audio recording of some Iraqis. These individuals all shared that they were grateful to the US government for giving them the opportunity to live in the US. However, in the US, they live in dire conditions and have financial problems. As I was listening to the audio, I could hear the pain and sorrow that these people felt – one of the men who spoke was almost at the point of tears. As an immigrant to the US, I can understand some of their frustration with living in the US.

In CONVICTIONS, Gabriela took us thorough the lives of women ex-convicts in D.C and how they dealt with transitioning to the society. Some of them had young children to go back to while others had changed in many ways. They were all finding it hard to adjust - be it in getting jobs or with taking care of family members or making up for lost times with their children. This project is still ongoing though and with great potential.

In all, Gabriela’s photographs were great in capturing the lives of the people she met. Some pictures were in black and white while others were in color. Also, Gabriela made use of vingetting to close in on her subjects and put them in focus. For individuals that did not want their faces to be revealed, Gabriela was able to respect their privacy but yet still capture the emotions or conditions that these individuals were in.

I thought the presentation was great and Gabriela’s work and her ability to tell a story really came through.