Steve McCurry. Afghanistan

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Afghanistanhaslongbeenacountryoverwhelmedbytribalrivalries,colonialwars,andgeo-politicalconflict.TheAfghanshavecalledtheirmountains"thelandofrebellion,"alandthathasnotbeensuccessfullyoccupiedsincethetimesofAlexandertheGreat.Theseinvaders--Persians,Arabs,Moguls,Sikhs,British,Russians--mayhavebeenthwarted,butwanderingthroughthebazaarsofKabulwillattesttotheirlegacy.InthepeopleofAfghanistan,thegenesofcountlessracesmeetandintermingle.DeeparethefissuresinAfghansociety;theschismbetweenSunniandShia,theendemicviolenceacrossclansandtribes,andthebloodfeudsandrivalrieswithinlineages.Yetbornofsuchchaosandentrenchedconflictarethesemostbreathtakingofimages.
InthisdefinitiveretrospectiveofhisworkinAfghanistan,SteveMcCurryhascuratedover140grippingimagestopresentatorn,proudpeople,fromthedesertofKandahartothestreetsofKabulandremoteriversofNuristan.Foralmostfourdecades,McCurrytraveledtothecountryregularly,documentingitspeoplewitharareanddisarminghumanity.HismoststrikingportraitAfghanGirl(1984)hasgracedthecoversofmagazinesaroundtheworld,inequalpartshauntingandevokingremarkablegraceanddignity.IncommonwithsomuchofMcCurry'swork,ithasatimeless,painterlyquality--entirelyatoddswiththetroubledregioninwhichitwastaken.
McCurryhasalwaysbeensubjectedtodangersthatareaninevitablepartoflife"ontheroad"forphotographers.Heoftenventuredbehindthelines,usuallyatgreatrisk.HisfirsttriptoAfghanistanin1979involvedhimdressinginAfghangarbinordertobesmuggledacrosstheborderfromPakistan.Thatjourneyintothetreacherous,unpredictablelandscape--territorycontrolledatvarioustimesbytheMujahideen,theRussians,andtheTaliban--wasonethatMcCurrywouldmakenumeroustimes.Manyotherphotographerswouldfollowinhisfootsteps,butnonewouldreturnwithsuchaflawlessbodyofwork.