Friday

Guggenheim Photo Exhibition Outrage

In today’s post-9/11 media environment, it’s difficult to escape images of human suffering as a result of acts of terrorism and their aftermath. Such images are often challenging to view, evoking powerfully emotional responses from many people - especially the survivors, and the families of the victims. Sadly, though, we are all-too familiar with such graphic depictions of misery and loss. The media’s appetite for emotional agony remains insatiable, with images of terrorism proving bitterly iconic and definitive of our times.

However, public outcry can be a formidable opponent as photojournalist Clemente Bernad and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao discovered recently when plans to exhibit her photographs of the Spanish ETA conflict in northern Spain came under intense scrutiny by families of those killed by the Basque separatist movement. Intended to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Museum, the photos have been branded as an affront to the victims’ families, and have been described by some as an ‘apology for terrorism’.

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