The war zone …
In the late 1970s, Susan Meiselas’s images of civil war and insurrection in Nicaragua and El Salvador established her as one of the great humanitarian photographers. But she had earned her place on Magnum’s books via a rather different series, capturing carnival strippers performing across rural New England.
Long haul …
Rather than street photography’s “hit and run”, Meiselas has always aimed to craft long-term relationships with her subjects. As such, it’s not easy to take these portraits out of context.
From all sides …
Bolstered by interviews, she builds a multifaceted picture of both women and men. Sexism, empathy, empowerment and exploitation are found on both sides of the gender divide.
Keeping it real …
Posed in shabby nylon tassels, this 1975 photo’s subject provides a bitter brew of grim reality and fantasy. That killer look is brilliantly ambiguous: playing the teasing femme fatale yet with a defensive, dead-eyed gaze that speaks of real-world hardship.
Included in The Body Observed: Magnum Photos, Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, Norwich, to 30 June
