In a surprisingly bold move last year the Australian War Memorial (AWM) agreed to send Shaun Galdwell to Afghanistan as an official war artist. Australia has sent artists to war since Will Dyson went in 1917, but Gladwell is the first video artist to go. He spent three weeks in the Oruzgan province working alongside Australian troops and his current exhibition at the AWM, Double Field: Shaun Gladwell - Afghanistan represents his response to the technology, landscape and soldiers he encountered while on manoeuvres. This link takes you to an article on the exhibition, which runs to 18 August 2010.
Image: Shaun Gladwell in the Oruzgan province, Afghanistan, October 2009
