Volunteer

With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States have been signing nearly 300,000 new recruits each year since 9/11, as they need to face an important turnover among the troops.

In Volunteer, Paul Seawright draws the portrait of the young recruits of the US Army, but we have to "read between the lines": instead of photographing the young recruits, instead of photographing the recruitment offices, the artist chose to photograph the urban environment of these offices, showing us in that way to who they are intended, and takes us to the suburban areas with their malls, parkings lots, motels and clubs.

From the urban landscape to the details of a wall, from the concrete of a huge blind wall to the colors of a gas station, Paul Seawright, with rather dry and cold images displays the desolation and sadness of these areas and neighborhoods, those where the US Army is looking for potential recruits, most likely jobless, idle youth with an uncertain future up to that point...

As another take or look at this book, we recommend Christer Ek's post on his blog "who needs another photo blog".

60 pages - Hardcover, no DJ

Artist Photo Books, 2013

New - Mint condition