Christopher Sims:

SF Camerawork is delighted to feature Theater of War: Pretend Villages of Iraq and Afghanistan, a series of photographs by Christopher Sims, recipient of the 7th annual Baum Award for Emerging American Photographers. The Baum Award for Emerging American Photographers is one of the largest national awards available in photography, and the only award in the United States to single out "emerging" photographers for support. Through the generosity of Glenn and April Bucksbaum of The Baum Foundation, this prestigious $10,000 cash grant honors a talented and innovative photographer at a pivotal moment in the development of his or her career.

Sims’ award winning images reveal a surreal world, which is at once fake yet also disturbingly real. His photographs depict the people and places that play a role in the simulated Iraqi and Afghan "villages" that serve as U.S. military training environments for many soldiers prior to deployment. Sims takes the viewer backstage on the "war on terror," revealing how it is reframed in the American imagination as a dramatic entertainment with actors and audience.

May 6—August 7, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 6, 2010, 5 - 8 pm

Read Press Release
Download Press Release — PDF

Click on images to view a larger size.

• All image credits: Christopher Sims