The Bronx Documentary Center’s exhibition, El Salvador: Legacy of Violence, pairs two important and historic photographic projects done three decades apart–one by American photographer Robert Nickelsberg, the other by Salvadoran photographer Fred Ramos–bodies of work that mirror, inform and resonate, each with the other. The two projects define El Salvador’s troubled Cold War history, document today’s political evolution and focus on US complicity and negligence in the small Central American country’s troubled past and present.
Ramos, born in 1986, and a World Press Photo Award winner, shows us the current land of unfortunate extremes–in the past decade, El Salvador has gone from being one of the most violent countries in the world, largely controlled by heavily armed gangs, to today being the country with the highest incarceration rate on the planet. Ramos’ photos document, as well, some of the millions of Salvadorans who have made a dangerous trek north to seek refuge in the United States, and the brutal, autocratic, and wildly popular crackdown by President Nayib Bukele.
Upon viewing Ramos’ troubling photos, the obvious question is, “How did this small, stunningly beautiful country of six million get to this point?”
Veteran photojournalist Robert Nickelsberg answers this question with more than three dozen black-and-white photos taken shortly before Ramos’ was born. Nickelsberg, who covered most of the world’s conflicts and cultural and political revolutions for 30 years as a Time Magazine contract photographer, spent years documenting El Salvador’s brutal civil war during the early 1980s. His photos show us everyday life in the Salvadoran countryside, set off by jarring, violent images of combat and death as American advisors and Latin American leftists turned El Salvador into a Cold War pawn littered with tortured bodies, primarily those of civilians.
Together, Ramos’ and Nickelsberg’s photos reflect on this often ignored history, triggering questions about US foreign policy and the legacy of the Cold War. Their work also looks at issues of dictatorship versus democracy at the ground level, as Salvadorans struggle to live daily lives filled with dignity and peace.
Robert Nickelsberg – Fred Ramos : El Salvador : Legacy of Violence
Until October 27, 2024
Bronx Documentary Center Annex
364 E. 151st St, Bronx, NY 10455
Thurs-Fri 3-7pm and Sat-Sun 1-5pm Free admission
www.Bronxdoc.org
