The photographic project “Afghanistan Il Nodo Del Tempo” by Riccardo Venturi is an extensive look at life in Afghanistan. The documentary project opens a window into the more personal side of the country that is often not seen in the media. The photographs were taken from 1996 – 2002, and cover the fall of Kabul to the Talibans, the defeat of Kandahar, and the arrival of American soldiers. A variety of subjects and issues are shown from this time period, including women’s issues and Taliban activity.
The book opens with a view of a street in Afghanistan. On the surface, a fairly simple photograph, but after taking a longer look many clues are revealed. If you saw this photograph without knowing the title of the project or the context, you would now know the location was somewhere in the Middle East. On the right is a desolate, run down commercial building, which suggests it is a poverty stricken area. On the left is a tall decorative tower, which appears to be on a corner of a wall. Perhaps the wall is keeping people in or out, and it is reminiscent of a wartime structure. In the middle of the photograph are a dog, people, and vehicles. The inclusion of these things shows that life is still going on in this otherwise, rundown looking street. Overall, the opening photograph is a successful introduction to the remaining photographs, both subject-wise, and stylistically.
The images in “Afghanistan Il Nodo Del Tempo” are dark and moody. There is not a single image in the collection evoking a sense of happiness. The lack of any happy or ‘feel good’ images sends a clear message: the situation in Afghanistan was not good, and the people were not happy. The majority of the photographs are quiet and simple, but they are still informative.
For example, the photograph of a child sitting at a table with a white sheet over it is an incredibly simple image, but from the image we can infer many things. First, the child is completely alone and there is not even a trace of another person or family being in the area. Secondly, the plain table and barren room show poverty. A closer look at the photograph reveals that the child is looking down in what feels like a very sad and contemplative manner. The photograph could be showing a number of things; a child at school or a child whose parents are out working. In fact, according to the caption, the young girl is at an orphanage. Now this photograph is not simply about a poor child, but it is a poor child with no family at a very under-funded orphanage. This image, along with a similar image showing a woman in an empty room at an asylum, begins to speak about humanitarian issues in Afghanistan. These pictures are not about the Taliban or military presence. These pictures are about the people living in this extremely poor country.
Overall, Riccardo Venturi successfully documented life in Afghanistan during the time period he was there. He showed a variety of daily life activities, as well as the military presence. Venturi’s variety of visuals including close ups, landscapes, and general scenes helps provide a full and complete view of the area. His style and subtle approach to his subject matter ties the images together in a successful documentary project.
