Cities in Dust
Victor J. Blue’s panoramic photographs of the destroyed cities of Raqqa, Syria, and Mosul, Iraq.
opening reception
Apr 4, 2019 | 6 - 9pm
ON VIEW
Apr 4 - May 5, 2019
BDC ANNEX
364 E. 151st St, Bronx, NY 10455
ARTIST TALK
April 13th, 2019 | 7PM
GALLERY HOURS
Thur-Fri 3-7PM
Sat-Sun 1-5PM
*GALLERY CLOSED SATURDAY, MAY 4TH
EXHIBITION EXTENDED TO MAY 5TH
Victor J. Blue’s panoramic photographs of the destroyed cities of Raqqa, Syria, and Mosul, Iraq, navigate a landscape of devastation from aerial bombardment scarcely seen since World War II.
Between October 2016 and October 2017- from the beginning of the campaign for Mosul until the end of that for Raqqa- the US-led coalition dropped 46,683 air-released munitions in Iraq and Syria, most on the twin capitals of the ISIS caliphate.
The cities’ destruction begs the question: what was the cost of the West’s war against extremism if the battlegrounds remain permanently uninhabitable? The cities were leveled in the fight to liberate them from their captors. More than 18 months after ISIS was driven from Raqqa and Mosul, the life of these places remains frozen in time, at a moment just after the last bombs fell, the fires went out, and the US led coalition declared victory and moved on. But the civilians of Mosul and Raqqa are left to consider the scale of the destruction, and the reality that they have been forgotten.
This exhibition is curated by Michael Kamber and Cynthia Rivera.
Cities in Dust is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, the New York State Legislature, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with City Council, The Donnelley Foundation, and the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation.
HEADER: The Jamhuriya bridge over the Tigris River sits destroyed in Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, November 4, 2018. © Victor J. Blue
PHOTO: Residents make their way among destroyed buildings in Raqqa, Syria, Monday, November 12, 2018. © Victor J. Blue