Art gives military a human face
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, September 11, 2008
The riveting face on the new billboard on the Westside belongs to Bruno, an American soldier.
Installed on Marietta Boulevard between Bankhead Highway and Boss Street, it is one of a series of photographic portraits that New York artist Suzanne Opton made of soldiers who had just returned from tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Courtesy of the Contemporary
‘Bruno,’ by artist Suzanne Opton, is part of a cross-country display sponsored by arts institutions.
Like this one, they have appeared on billboards across the country. The Atlanta version, on view through Nov. 3, is sponsored by the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. It is part of a cross-country installation hosted by arts institutions in Denver, Houston, Louisville, and St. Paul.
Opton had first planned to show in St. Paul during the Republican Convention, but CBS Outdoor, which owns the site there, decided not to put it up. They expressed concern that the soldier looked as if he were dead, and that the piece would be construed as disrespectful.
Opton, who conducted her photo shoots on military bases with permission, wanted to humanize the military.
You be the judge.
