Glorianne Liu unveils the mysteries surrounding the country of Afghanistan with “Afghan Perspectives,” a photography exhibit at Big Sky Café and the San Luis Obispo Art Center.
“Walk the Block” was a duel opening reception at both Big Sky Café and the Art Center Thursday evening.
“I’m trying to create awareness especially in American eyes that Afghan people, Middle Eastern people are not our enemies,” Liu said. “The people themselves are not our enemies.”
Curator of Exhibitions and Collections at the San Luis Obispo Art Center Gordon Fuglie was interested in Liu’s work for a similar reason.
“My work as a curator has always been to find things that ought to be better known that have maybe slipped off the radar. but deserve our attention,” he said.
One of the more haunting photos on display at Big Sky Cafe is of a young woman taking off her Burka in prayer. The woman in the photo is the cousin of one of Liu’s friends in Afghanistan.
“These women are shaped by their religion, unlike Western women,” she said. “We are shaped by our education; they are shaped by their religion.”
Anne Furtick of San Luis Obispo is one local that is familiar with that part of the world. She has lived in several Middle Eastern countries and visited Kabul, Afghanistan.
“I was interested in seeing her portrayal, they take me back,” she said smiling.
Liu has been a photographer for 20 years. She has traveled significantly, documenting her journeys. Her trip to Afghanistan last spring was the 15th she’d taken since 2001. Liu explained that photography isn’t always the reason for her travels but it is continually a part of them.
Karla Gibson is Liu’s neighbor in San Luis Obispo and came to the reception to show her support.
“She is a lovely person and very intense about what she does,” Gibson said of Liu. “She puts a lot of thought and care into what she does.”
Liu received a bachelor’s degree in art from Wichita State University and attended the Art Institute of Kansas City. There, she found her niche in candid photography.
“I think candid portraiture is the insight into the human personality and into relationships,” she said. “In a way we are all ordinary, but in a way each individual is extraordinary.almost everyone has something that is extraordinary.”
Liu has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and Central Asia, although the photos are from her most recent trip to Afghanistan.
As a result of her many trips to that part of the world, she has formed close friendships with some of her photographic subjects.
“I like to do candid portraiture, but I like to build a relationship with my subjects so that it sort of becomes a personal story,” she said.
Liu thinks that many Americans have misconceptions about Afghanistan and its people, and associate the country with Osama Bin Laden and the September 11 attacks. She hopes that her photos will give the average American perspective about the people of Afghanistan and insight into their everyday lives.
“I want to show a culture,” she said. “I want to show that there are human beings there.”
Although the focus of her photos may be the culture and people of Afghanistan, Liu has strong opinions about American involvement in the country.
“The Taliban is making resurgence. absolutely we cannot leave Afghanistan,” she said. “The military presence should not be the primary reason for us going, we should be there in a capacity of health care and education.”
Liu was awarded a gold medal in Black and White Magazine’s annual photo contest for her photographic work in Afghanistan.
Fuglie admires Liu for her work and her bravery.
“She is one very gutsy lady.these are trouble spots, places that are not safe. she goes there and connects with people and brings back images that are very rich and humane,” he said.
Hanging on the walls of a local gallery with people meandering by or displayed in a modern downtown restaurant as diners gobble up their meal beneath them, Liu’s photographs radiate perspective about a country a world away in culture and custom but not necessarily in heart.
“When you see photographs like these, the mysterious part of Afghanistan that will stay with you,” Liu said. “It will stay with you until you see (visit) it, and then you understand.”
The photos will be on display at the San Luis Obispo Art Center through the end of November.