Moises Saman: The Ghosts of History

In The Ghosts of History Magnum photographer Moises Saman commemorates the twentieth anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq by exploring the construction of competing narratives of war through the interaction of images and language. Moises's photographs taken in Iraq during the past two decades are presented alongside texts, US military maps and graphs, redacted official transcripts, and pop culture references relevant to the Iraq War that reflect a sinisterly ironic lexicon of this conflict. Presenting Saman’s photographs in dialogue with the sourced texts reveal a clash between the photographer's visual representation of the conflict and official discourse provoking questions about narrative formation in war, and the creation of memory.

The Ghosts of History is a traveling exhibition organized by Magnum Photos in collaboration with the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery, Haverford College. Support for the exhibition has been provided by The John B. Hurford ’60 Center for the Arts and Humanities, Haverford College, Magnum Photos, and Haverford College’s Distinguished Visitors Program.