Nina Berman. Homeland (2001–2008)

With her series Homeland, Nina Berman examines the militarisation of American life post September 11, focusing on the enticing nature of the contemporary American security state; the government’s role as scriptwriter and theatrical producer, and the function of citizens as paid actors, volunteers and consumers in the advancement of the war on terror narrative. The work does not visually differentiate between scenes depicting everyday security measures and specific simulations or drills, leaving the viewer to consider where the game ends and the “real” world begins.

 

Marine Wedding (2006, 2008)

With Marine Wedding Berman takes a close look at a young man, U.S. Marine Sergeant Tyler Ziegel, who was seriously wounded in a suicide car bombing, while serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. The images document his rehabilitation, recovery, and return home along with his attempt to find normality and love despite his horrific injuries.

The work also considers the relationship between violence and masculinity, patriotism and sacrifice and the consequences of war amid the landscape of small-town America.

The images were made in 2006 and 2008 in Texas and Illinois, USA. Ziegel died in 2012 of a heroin and alcohol overdose.

 

Nina Berman is a documentary photographer with a primary interest in American political and social landscape. She authored two acclaimed monographs: Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq and Homeland. Her works were on display in more than 100 international venues. In 2016 she was the recipient of the Aftermath Project Grant. She has received a number of awards, including from the New York Foundation for the Arts, (NYFA), the Open Society Foundation, World Press Photo, and Hasselblad. She is a lecturer at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and she lives in New York City.