Galleries

Photographer Portrays Hope and Recovery through Documentary Portraiture in Winter de Menil Gallery Exhibition

“I don’t know how you can look at these photos and not be moved,” Sasha Kwon ’27 commented at the opening of “Aftermath.”

Artist Deborah Bai-Lannon visited the Circle on January 15 for a drop-in artist’s reception at the de Menil Gallery to interact with students and discuss her exhibition: a twenty-six-image installation challenging onlookers to see past stereotypes of veterans while viewing images of the journey to recovery from traumatic experiences.

The series took form while Ms. Bai-Lannon volunteered with the Home Base Veterans and Family Program. This program, a partnership between the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, offers veterans receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) a Respite Weekend between the intensive two week session. The organization works with several farms to connect patients with a relaxed environment to decompress between the stages of the therapy.

Ms. Bai-Lannon’s photographs are all taken at Harvard University’s polo farm, where she documented more than fifty veterans, from Navy SEALS and Special Forces personnel to enlisted service members. According to her artist statement, Ms. Bai-Lannon worked with each individual “to create intimate images which reflect the person they are, who they want to be, their hopes for the future and the experiences they’re trying so hard to process.”

The four-year project began after Ms. Bai-Lannon fell in love with one of the horses at the Harvard University farm, just down the street from where she lives. As she began taking photos there, she befriended the polo coach, who invited her to come take photos of the program. The series developed over her time there from just photographing the veterans interacting with the horses to something deeper: portraying the effects of combat and military service. 

At the reception, Ms. Bai-Lannon spoke of her own experience with an extended family member who suffered from PTSD, making the project even more personal. Even though she was young, the trauma her family member suffered was an enduring memory; “it stuck with me my whole life,” she reflected.

The deeply intimate portraits, intentionally displayed in black and white, portray both suffering and healing, capturing the connection between the program members, the horses, and the photographer. 

“The mission that these people entrusted me with is that you understand—that you come to the understanding—of what trauma and sacrifice that our military members often make,” Ms. Bai-Lennon explained. “And if you come away with that understanding my work is done.”

“Aftermath” is on view from January 7 to April 29.