Standard Operating Procedure: photos by Nubar Alexanian

From June 6-29 with Extended Gallery Hours during the Festival of the Photograph

Artist’s Talk at The Bridge on Friday, June 13th at 10am

The Bridge PAI, in association with the Festival of the Photograph, is pleased to present Standard Operating Procedure, an exhibition of photographs by Nubar Alexanian.

The exhibition is the culmination of Alexanian’s ongoing collaboration with director Errol Morris, who he has worked with on the set of Morris’ films Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Mr. Death, and the First Person series. In Standard Operating Procedure, Alexanian examines the notorious events at Abu Ghraib prison through the eyes of the American soldiers who participated in the abuses of power, and through actors who reenacted and dramatized the troubling events, which have since become indelibly written into our consciousness.

Nubar Alexanian’s provocative photographs depict the moral transgressions at Abu Ghraib and encourage the viewer to confront issues about institutional behavior and group psychology and questions the American media’s willingness to ignore the darker sides of war and hierarchical social structures. Although Alexanian does not hide the constructed nature of these scenes – television monitors and movie lights are visible in many shots – their emotional impact is no less powerful. While the viewer is attracted to the beauty of the imagery, he is, at the same time, repelled by what is depicted. As the lines between reality and imagination blur, the dramatized events underscore the ambiguity of our perspectives on urgent moral issues. Click here for more information about the work and a sample of the photographs.

There will be an Opening Reception on Friday, June 6th from 6-9pm, as well as a separate Artist’s Talk with Nubar Alexanian on Friday, June 13th at 10am. We will have extended Gallery Hours during the weekend of the Festival, and the exhibition will remain up during our regular Gallery Hours through June 29th.