Dexter Filkins, Ann Garrels, George Packer, Larry Diamond
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The single, bold strokes of an ancient art form create the metaphor of Covering Iraq — provoking the viewer to ponder the instability and volatility of a nation — shattered on the brink of civil war. Razor sharp palm fronds explode and draw us into the center of a white-hot space - blazing with the heat of both the Iraqi sun and the intense, unrelenting media glare. The leaves' asymmetry mimic the splintered opinions and fragmented rhetoric that has defined the debate, while the palm's richly textured bark refers to the complexity of the issues tearing the country apart. The overlapping sheathed leaves of the crown shaft crisscross and culminate into explosive brush strokes.
Cut horizontally and vertically a woman's face is caught in the corner, a silent witness to all that lies in the negative space. Framed by the dynamic angles in the composition, only a fraction of her covered face, like the truncated palm tree is visible. In the midst of the perils of shifting perspectives, agendas, and complex political motives, her eye is on the uncertain future and her dubious destiny. Visually harmonious with the strokes in the crown shaft of the palm tree, the iris' rich detail mimics the violent explosions and unspeakable horrors to Iraq. Sweeping strokes that flow with the majesty of the Tigris and Euphrates River cover this woman's face echoing the barren landscape —Covering Iraq. Subject to the unknown, Iraq herself awaits the despicable hostilities and her fate.
