I created the series The Afghan Syndrome to reflect on the legacy of war and call into question the concept of healing. The project explores healing practices and how participation in healing traditions can contribute to individual and collective identity. In May of 2011, almost one decade into the United States’ war in Afghanistan, I visited one of Russia’s veteran treatment facilities, otherwise known as sanatoriums. Between 1979 and 1989, the former Soviet Union fought a war in Afghanistan, leaving tens of thousands of troops wounded, similar to the United States today. Drawn by this parallel, I was curious as to what veteran treatment looks like 20 years after a conflict has ended. Originally opened as a VIP resort for top Communist Party functionaries, the sanatorium, called “Rus” near Moscow, now serves as a treatment facility for Russian veterans of the Afghanistan and Chechnya wars. The transformation began in 1989, the same year the Soviet Union withdrew its troops from Afghanistan. Ownership was completed in 1991 by the Russian Association of Veterans Disabled During the War in Afghanistan. Sanatoriums were established as medical facilities for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis. Today, this facility provides physical, psychological and social services to both veterans and their families. In addition, the sanatorium provides alternative treatments for those who cannot use certain medications because of their illness, for example, hirudotherapy or leech therapy, acupuncture, dry carbonic acid gas bath, electropuncture diagnostics and bioresonance therapy. At the time of my visit, the facility hosted 250 patients, most of whom suffered their injuries more than 20 years ago.
I am an American photographer and filmmaker who grew up in a rural community in the San Francisco Bay Area and have spent the past 15 years living in rapidly changing mega-cities like New York, Mexico City and Shanghai. I studied photography the International Center of Photography in New York City and am a frequent contributor to The New York Times. Recent personal work explores healing practices and how participation in healing traditions can contribute to individual and collective identity. Projects include combat veterans in Russia, violent crime victims in Mexico City, and inside New York City’s largest homeless shelter Bellevue.
Honors from organizations including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars), Photo District News (PDN), New York Photo Festival (NYPH), American Photography (AP28), International Photography Awards (IPA), AFI Silverdocs, and International Documentary Association (IDA.)
Recent publications: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, MotherJones, New York Magazine, Discover Magazine, The Atlantic, The Seattle Times, CNN, Discover Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar (China), Marie Claire (China), City Pictorial (China), Elle Men (China), China Daily, Bloomberg.com, GOOD.is, among others…
Eric Michael Johnson
