Two photographers explore the way we view the soldier

Photographers Suzanne Opton and Claire Beckett take the phrase “theater of war” quite literally. But instead of playing into character traits like valiance and fearlessness that have become part of the way Americans are to understand the soldier, Opton and Beckett use their work to subvert the “Army Strong” recruiting campaigns by photographing soldiers in a way that reveals their weariness, desperation, and individuality.

Their joint exhibit, “Picturing War,” now on view at Salve Regina University’s Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery, was curated by Michelle Lamuniere, a photography specialist at Skinner Auctioneers and Appraisers, who saw the connection between Opton’s and Beckett’s work — two photographers who to this day still have yet to meet. Opton was at the Thursday, Feb. 13 opening, but the snowy weather prevented Boston-based Beckett from attending.

“I think that Suzanne and Claire’s projects are very different, but have themes that are similar,” says Lamuniere. The similarities she refers to are the theatrical sensibilities of each photographer. That’s not to say that the exhibit is exaggerated or melodramatic — it’s just that every piece hanging in the gallery seems staged. And that’s by design.

Focusing only on the faces of military personnel currently in service, Opton’s work exposes a level of intimacy by purposefully putting her subjects ill-at-ease. At Fort Drum in New York, Opton asked nine American soldiers who were between tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan to lay their heads on a table for an extended period of time while she painstakingly photographed them with her 4x5 camera, capturing moments of helplessness and fatigue.

“I just wanted to make a vulnerable picture of a solider,” says Opton. But it’s hard to get that vulnerability across to the American public, which is bombarded with constant war coverage on the news and countless documentaries with powerful visuals of soldiers in combat. We are so overexposed to the trauma and suffering associated with war, that we sometimes compensate by choosing to overlook, and even ignore these inevitable states of despondency and frailty.

“I think we are desensitized to the documentary-style depiction of war,” says Opton, “which is why I want my photographs to live between the documentary and the conceptual.” No expression is forged or faked. The only staging occurs in the process, which Opton believes to be a necessary liberty — a way to combat over-the-top military campaign ads, with her own theater: theater that is believable and without affected sentiment. “I want you to see a story,” Opton says, “and that they are someone’s kid.”

Beckett is more overt in the way in which she stages her photographs. She traveled to Fort Irwin in the heart of California’s Mojave Desert, a major training base made to look like an Iraqi village, complete with soldiers and civilians clad in Middle Eastern dress.

It’s confusing, and at first maybe even unsettling to see images of Americans dressed as rebels carrying AK-47s. Beyond the role-playing and the spot-on simulated setting is Beckett’s message: to deconstruct the way we view the soldier by mixing identities — forcing viewers to consider the personalities, temperaments, and individual lives of each subject photographed at the base.

“Picturing War” is more than a presentation of static photographs. Each still can be likened to a performance. Like a play or film, there is a detailed plot and descriptive characterization: the training base Beckett uses functions as the set and the people simulating daily life in the village are the actors. Opton’s photography is more like a one-person show with a wide and expressive scope, as each shot features only one subject’s expression. It’s important that both Opton and Beckett do not disguise the fact that the photographs were staged. The exhibit then is not meant to be a realistic pictorial documentary, rather, a way for viewers to explore the character inside the uniform.

“You can see the subject as fallen soldier or as your lover next to you,” says Opton. Either way, both photographers restore our curiosity and sympathy for all those who serve through their unique interpretation of “theater of war.”

“Picturing War: Photographs by Claire Beckett and Suzanne Opton” runs through March 7 at the Dorrance H. Hamilton Galley located in the Antone Academic Center at Salve Regina University. The exhibit is open Tues. & Thurs., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Wed. & Fri., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sat. & Sun., noon-4 p.m.