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Iraq, Afghanistan War Photo Exhibit to Open at Hudson Square Fire Museum

By Andrea Swalec | February 8, 2012 11:58am
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Billy Figueroa

MANHATTAN — When photographer Joao Silva stepped on a landmine in southern Afghanistan in 2010 and lost his legs, a war correspondent and a combat veteran immediately talked about how they could help him.

The result is "Conflict Zone," an exhibit of photographs from Iraq and Afghanistan, opening Friday at the New York City Fire Museum in Hudson Square.

"I called every photographer I knew to get them to donate their work," Jackie Spinner, a longtime foreign reporter, said about organizing the show.

The exhibit Spinner coordinated together with Steve Danyluk — a U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran and founder of the injured veterans' nonprofit, the Independence Fund — includes the work of more than 20 civilian and military photographers.

Among the photographers are the late Chris Hondros and award-winners Andrea Bruce, Greg Marinovich and Kathleen Flynn.

"We realized that this is the first time all of these photographers have showed in one place, from these two wars," Spinner said.

The Fire Museum at 278 Spring St. agreed to host the exhibit — which is scheduled to open with a reception and will be on display through Feb. 17 — because it honors heroes, director and curator Damon Campagna said.

"The New York City Fire Museum supports all the brave men and women keeping our country safe just as much as 'The Bravest' who keep us safe at home," Campagna said in a statement. "We see this exhibit as a special way for us to honor the dedication and sacrifice our service people make every day."

Spinner said she hopes visitors to the exhibit walk away with a greater sense of the multifaceted nature of war zones.

"There's a lot of life that comes from a war zone, as well as death," she said, citing photos of Kurdish children playing and Iraqis in bumper cars.

Donations initially made by viewers of Conflict Zone, which debuted in May 2011 in Chicago, helped fund Silva's medical care. When he no longer needed the funds, they were directed to The Chris Hondros Fund — which supports photojournalists in memory of the photographer who was killed in Libya in April 2011 — Spinner said.

Many war correspondents and photographers are expected to attend Friday's reception, in part for the camaraderie many people who have lived through war share, Spinner said in an email.

"Not only are we showing the world these powerful images — we're showing each other that we survived," she said.

A little more than a year after the injury, Silva, a New York Times contract photographer, competed in the handcycle division of the New York City Marathon.

A reception for Conflict Zone will be held Fri., Feb 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the New York City Fire Museum at 278 Spring St.