Eastman House exhibition revisits Vietnam

Images by photographer and ex-combat marine Craig J. Barber reveal Ghosts in the Landscape, on view Feb. 17 through May 6

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film presents Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited, an exhibition of 46 prints by photographer and ex-combat marine Craig J. Barber, on view Feb. 17 through May 6, 2007. Barber spent 20 months in Vietnam as a teenager and returned three times to traverse many of his former military routes with an 8x10 pinhole camera. His return to the land where he once fought resulted in a dreamlike and introspective study of place.

"Memory runs deep in my veins as I wind my way along narrow dirt paths and bamboo groves, past straw houses and barking dogs. More than once, as I wander the small hamlets, I have felt on patrol, the weight of my pack reminiscent of those days and the tripod feeling like a weapon. But now I am searching for images instead of 'Charlie.'" — Craig J. Barber

In 1995 Barber first revisited the battered and distant country where he had come of age, returning twice more over four years. His photographs take us toward some other Vietnam, far and near from the place we have pictured for many years. The majority of the exhibition's images are platinum prints, created by Barber, who is an accomplished platinum printer. The tonality of the platinum process produces stunningly rich blacks and a full spectrum of delicately nuanced shades of gray. Barber created diptych and triptych panorama images that capture serene beauty and, at times, for him, the all-too memorable landscapes.

"These profound and dreamlike photographs are far from the horrific images we carry inside us that reduce Vietnam to a place of perpetual guerilla war," said Dr. Alison Nordström, George Eastman House's curator of photographs. "These pictures look like dreams imperfectly remembered. Still and slow as they are, they suggest an imminent scream of fear or anger beneath an apparent tranquility."

When stationed in Vietnam, Barber was not a serious photographer, but carried an instamatic with his combat gear throughout his tour of duty. His career as a photographer blossomed in the 1970s and took off in the 1980s. Today he is best known for his provocative landscape photographs and is recognized as one of America's premiere landscape photographers. His work has been featured in more than 60 solo exhibitions and is represented in numerous collections including George Eastman House, Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the Bibliotheque Nationale de France in Paris. A native of Honeoye Falls, N.Y., Barber lives in the Hudson Valley and teaches photograph workshops throughout the United States and Europe.

Accompanying the exhibition is a 60-page catalogue of the same title, with an essay by Nordström (Umbrage Editions, 2006). The exhibition will begin a worldwide tour upon closing at George Eastman House. Major sponsors for Ghosts in the Landscape are Bank of America and Dominion, with additional support from Bostick & Sullivan. The exhibition is part of the Eastman House series titled "Witness: Know War/Know Genocide."

Related Programs
Opening Event/Lecture and Booksigning
2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17
An opening event for Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited will feature an illustrated lecture in the Dryden Theatre with photographer Craig J. Barber. The lecture will be followed by an exhibition viewing and booksigning. Included with museum admission (free to members).

Photography Lecture
6:30 p.m. Thursday April 12
Lecture with Vietnam veteran Don Fox, who will present photographs from his time serving in Vietnam. Curtis Theatre. Included with museum admission (free to members).

For more information
For more information about the Eastman House exhibition or related programs, please visit www.eastmanhouse.org or call (585) 271-3361. Admission to George Eastman House is $8 for adults; $6 for senior citizens (60 and older); $5 for students; $3 for children (5 to 12); and free for children 4 and under and museum members.

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