Two men’s documentary ‘Visions’ are brought to the South Bronx

Chelsea and the Upper East Side are not the only neighborhoods in which to see great art. A month-and-a-half ago, the Bronx Documentary Center (614 Courtlandt Ave., at East 151st Street) opened as a new center for photography, film, and multimedia in the Bronx.

Having observed that the art, journalism, and documentary world was largely geared toward educated urban audiences, Tim Hetherington and Michael Kamber sought to push the envelope of targeted demographics with the idea for this center. “We just feel like people don’t reach out to new audiences,” Kamber said. The Bronx Documentary Center is among the few galleries in South Bronx and the first in the area showing documentary work.

A photojournalist, Hetherington was killed in combat on April 20, 2011 in Libya, and the center’s first exhibit, “Visions,” is presented in his honor. Born in Liverpool, England in 1970 and educated at Oxford University, Hetherington was a photojournalist who helped create new directions for narrative photography. His Oscar-nominated film, “Restrepo,” had an effect in changing the way Americans viewed the Afghan war.

This Bronx Documentary Center exhibit shows Hetherington’s work from Libya for the first time. These photographs offer a surprisingly intimate depiction of conflict zones, evoking an immediacy given their recent date—some were taken on the days leading up to and on the date of Hetherington’s death.

Hetherington is characterized for his ability to embed the personal into these conflict zones. “‘My photos are not about war,’ Tim would often say of his Afghanistan photos, ‘They’re about young men,’” Kamber said. His statement rings true throughout the exhibition in the way he captures faces at particular moments. In one photograph, two men stand beside each other holding up cameras. One of the men looks straight at the camera. There isn’t a need for background information or extensive knowledge on history—these candid and close-up expressions have a humanistic quality that make these photographs stand on their own.

Also on display in the exhibit is a film entitled “Diary,” which compiles scenes from the different countries Hetherington traveled to and worked in over the years. The film blends and juxtaposes war-torn zones with cosmopolitan cities, war, and chaos with serenity, creating a montage of the many realities in this world. Hetherington takes his viewers right into the midst of it all, filming so close to the reality of war but then fading away to the streets of London or New York.

“Visions” also includes more specific information about Hetherington’s life and extensive career, including that relayed through personal interviews and a tribute created by his closest friends.

The exhibition presents Hetherington’s visionary approach to image-making housed in a building founded on a visionary idea.