Fallen Soldiers
Fallen Soldiers (2010 - 2012) commemorates the thousands of soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and all soldiers who have fought and died in service to their country. These ghostly portraits remind us that war is not only measured by words, like democracy and freedom, but also by all the lives that were and could have been… this is the true cost of war.
Each panel shows the eyes of the soldier and their initials. A key to the exhibition provides their full name, rank, place of birth, and date of death.
This work is dedicated to the memory of Canadian Captain Jefferson Francis who was killed in Afghanistan in 2007 by an improvised explosive device. He was a young man of 36, with a six-month old baby, who dropped out of a PhD program to become an unlikely soldier.
This piece is woven in memory of all soldiers who have been injured or have given their lives fighting wars and to their families and friends for the tears they have shed.
As events in Afghanistan unfold, we acknowledge that these soldiers contributed to 20 years of education for girls and women and improved social conditions. We also must acknowledge the loss of life of Afghan civilians and security forces and the dislocation of refugees. How this will be seen historically has yet to be determined.