Lori Grinker: Artist Statement

Veterans carry the experience of war with them every day. There is an aura around them, an aura born of having witnessed something that should never be seen.

This is what I wanted to capture. I wanted to get past the macabre curiosity, and capture war in their wounds and through their memories. From Eritrea to El Salvador, from Pakistan to Russia, I met the men, women, and children who walked the fields and survived, often with damaged bodies and scarred lives.

I encourage viewers to reflect upon the complex social, economic, and political conditions behind these conflicts. In the aftermath of war, one culture mirrors another. It makes no difference if one was in a "bad" war or a "good" war, justified or unjustified, on the winning or losing side.

We watch the conflicts on television as if war is a spectator sport, but those sent to the front suffer for us. I hope that this work, which captures the physical and psychological wounds of the 20th century's veterans from World War I to Iraq , will serve as a powerful reminder of the human toll of war, one that is especially relevant amid the ongoing conflicts in the world.