Gabriela Bulisova Talk

“My lens is not dispassionate, I am an advocate.” Gabriela Bulisova said this in her talk titled, “Collateral Image: Portraits of Iraqi Refugees” given last Wednesday here at St. Mary’s as a part of the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Colloquium. Driven by social injustice, Bulisova has made a career out of documentary photography. Taking her camera from the aftermath of Chernobyl, the post-Katrina despair in New Orleans, the displacement of Iraqi refugees, to her most recent work with women out of prison in Washington D.C. has allowed Buisova to provide the world with insightful information in order to provoke change.

Though brief, Bulisova’s talk inspired me. With her peaceful presence, one could be mislead, learning with surprise what harsh realities she has exposed herself to in order to expose to the world. It is clear that her projects shed light on some of the most horrific human tragedies, known to many, but never actually seen before. Her most telling work, I thought, was that of the Iraqi people in hiding in Demascus, Syria. Bulisova’s unique composition and framing coupled with the subjects’ vulnerability, makes her photos come off as stunning portrayals of the hardship and suffering of these people.

Similarly, her recent project on women facing society after prison speaks to me. While I cannot relate to this experience, I felt something for these women, who have to do more than twice the work of any other woman to redeem herself in a world they know only as drugs, alcohol, violence, and crime. While I recognize that the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Colloqium focuses on women in war, I felt Bulisova should have focused on her prison project to truly enlighten us on the difficulties women face in today’s society.