AMERICAN INTERIORS- ML Casteel

Photo: ML Casteel

I remember someone doing a photo essay of sleeping soldier portraits during the height of the US/Iran, US/Afghanistan conflicts. It got waves of critical acclaim for... honestly, I really don't know what to this date. They felt uncomfortably invasive, provided zero insight into the subjects (soldiers fall asleep- really?), and as far as a new or novel way of seeing- uh, yeah, sure, I guess... But such is the art world.

I first saw American Interiors by ML Casteel on APE and was immediately taken by it. The work is almost  minimalist in nature- small sections of car interiors taken in autos owned by vets. The trauma, pain and consequence of war is plainly visible in these evidentiary photos- manifested by the scattered artifacts and paraphernalia of resulting addictions, physical debilitation and personal abandonment. We see only fragments, what's left behind by those left behind; and yet, they serve as blatant testament. These people carry scars that extend into every relationship they interact with: personal, social, environmental.  

These evenly lit, individualized visions of personal hells are clear, concise postcards of those broken, but surviving. And they go a long way towards documenting the personal aftermaths of those we send in our stead, to withstand ordeals we cannot possibly fathom and elect to ignore- both in the heat of battle, and for the remainder of our lives.

PS- Twenty-two vets die by their own hand each and every day...