Dynamite and Prayers:Emerald Miners of Afghanistan
December 10 – 31, 2015
Opening: Saturday Dec 12, 6-9pm
Daily we see images of the hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing war or seeking new lives flooding into Europe. A recent presidential decree has ordered ten thousand refugees to be allowed into the United States. Kindness has prevailed for those who have taken these refugees into their home in Germany and fear has spread where people have had no opportunity to have contact and know these brave, desperate people.
Max Becherer is an internationally renowned photographer who has covered the Middle-East and Central Asia for the last decade and is launching a new book, “Dynamite and Prayers,” which brings viewers into the desperate world of young men facing an uncertain future in a war torn country. Through 40 captivating images the 60-page coffee table book tells the story of young men as they labor in the emerald miner of Afghanistan. These men toil, not for riches, but to earn enough money to buy their passage out of Afghanistan and to Europe. The book brings the viewer into the breathtaking mountain homes of the miners and ends with the visually stunning ancient horse game of Buzkashi played by their fathers.
With a foreword written by Carlotta Gall, a long time New York Times correspondent covering Afghanistan and Pakistan, the book gives context of the historic events that lead the miners to this moment. With rich insight and images that show the captivating beauty of these young Afghan men’s daily life, viewers will have the chance to inform themselves about just where this migration of humanity has come from and earn understanding of what it is they seek.
Max Becherer will talk about his work and sign books from “Dynamite and Prayers:Emerald Miners of Afghanistan” at the opening of his exhibit. Becherer will sell signed copies of the book for $35 after the presentation.
