Ashley Gilbertson
Encyclopedia
Ashley Gilbertson is an award-winning photographer best known for his images of the Iraq war. Born in Melbourne
, Australia
, he started his career at thirteen taking pictures of skateboarders. After graduating secondary school, he was mentored by Filipino photographer Emmanuel Santos
, and later Masao Endo in the Japanese
highlands.
While he was based in Australia
, Gilbertson worked on socially driven photo essays ranging from drug addiction in Melbourne
to war zones in Southeast Asia
and the South Pacific
. In 1999 he photographed Kosovar refugees
who had been granted temporary safe haven in Australia. For the next three years Gilbertson's work focused on various refugee
problems across the globe.
In 2002, Gilbertson travelled to the Kurdish
enclave of Northern Iraq
. Shortly thereafter, President George W. Bush
made a case for war in Iraq, and Gilbertson travelled back to cover the story at the beginning of 2003. His work was published widely, and one of his images from the invasion was included in Time Magazine's 'Pictures of the Year'. In 2004 Gilbertson won the Robert Capa Gold Medal
Award from the Overseas Press Club
for his photographic reportage on 'The Battle For Fallujah
'. The Capa Award is for "the best photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise". Since then, Gilbertson spent another four years in Iraq, covering the war on contract for The New York Times
. A photographic memoir
of Gilbertson's time there entitled Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was published by the University of Chicago Press
in the fall of 2007.
In March 2009, he became a member of the VII Photo Agency
's VII Network.
In 2011, Gilbertson won a National Magazine Award for his series "Bedrooms of The Fallen", a work in progress he says will become a book in 2012. http://www.theage.com.au/national/bringing-home-the-tragedy-of-war-20110805-1if93.html
Gilbertson lives with his wife and son in New York City
.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, he started his career at thirteen taking pictures of skateboarders. After graduating secondary school, he was mentored by Filipino photographer Emmanuel Santos
Emmanuel Santos
Emmanuel Santos is a Melbourne, Australia, based documentary and art photographer. While still living in the Philippines he was a photographer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; after moving to Australia in 1982 he worked briefly as a folk singer...
, and later Masao Endo in the Japanese
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
highlands.
While he was based in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Gilbertson worked on socially driven photo essays ranging from drug addiction in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
to war zones in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
and the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
. In 1999 he photographed Kosovar refugees
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
who had been granted temporary safe haven in Australia. For the next three years Gilbertson's work focused on various refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
problems across the globe.
In 2002, Gilbertson travelled to the Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
enclave of Northern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Shortly thereafter, President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
made a case for war in Iraq, and Gilbertson travelled back to cover the story at the beginning of 2003. His work was published widely, and one of his images from the invasion was included in Time Magazine's 'Pictures of the Year'. In 2004 Gilbertson won the Robert Capa Gold Medal
Robert Capa Gold Medal
The Robert Capa Gold Medal is an award for "best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise". It is awarded annually by the Overseas Press Club of America . It was created in honor of the war photographer Robert Capa...
Award from the Overseas Press Club
Overseas Press Club
The Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member...
for his photographic reportage on 'The Battle For Fallujah
Fallujah
Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
'. The Capa Award is for "the best photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise". Since then, Gilbertson spent another four years in Iraq, covering the war on contract for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. A photographic memoir
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
of Gilbertson's time there entitled Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was published by the University of Chicago Press
University of Chicago Press
The University of Chicago Press is the largest university press in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including The Chicago Manual of Style, dozens of academic journals, including Critical Inquiry, and a wide array of...
in the fall of 2007.
In March 2009, he became a member of the VII Photo Agency
VII Photo Agency
VII is a photo agency representing 30+ photojournalists, known for its focus on conflict photography. This collective employs a three tier system: members, non-members and mentorees, titles which reflect the level of service and commitment provided by the company to the photographers.VII derives...
's VII Network.
In 2011, Gilbertson won a National Magazine Award for his series "Bedrooms of The Fallen", a work in progress he says will become a book in 2012. http://www.theage.com.au/national/bringing-home-the-tragedy-of-war-20110805-1if93.html
Gilbertson lives with his wife and son in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Awards and nominations
- 2001 - Leica/CCP Documentary Award (MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
) - 2004 - Photo District News '30 under 30' (Winner)
- 2004 - Publisher's Award, New York Times
- 2004 - Robert Capa Gold MedalRobert Capa Gold MedalThe Robert Capa Gold Medal is an award for "best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise". It is awarded annually by the Overseas Press Club of America . It was created in honor of the war photographer Robert Capa...
, Overseas Press ClubOverseas Press ClubThe Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member...
(New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) (winner) - 2004 - Photographer of the Year, National Photo Awards (MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
) (winner) - 2005 - Leica/CCP documentary awards (MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
) (finalist) - 2005 - I.C.P. Infinity Award, (New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) (finalist) - 2005 - Photo District NewsPhoto District NewsPhoto District News is an American monthly trade publication for professional photographers. PDN was first published in 1980. The publication takes its name from New York City's photo district, an area of photo businesses that was once located in Flatiron District.Originally named New York Photo...
Photo Annual, (New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) (finalist) - 2005 - Joop Swart Masterclass, World Press PhotoWorld Press PhotoWorld Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organization is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest....
(AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) (participant) - 2006 - The Walkley AwardsWalkley AwardsThe annual Walkley Awards, under the administration of the Walkley Foundation for Journalism, are presented in Australia to recognise and reward excellence in journalism. Finalists are chosen by an independent board of eminent journalists and photographers. The awards cover all media including...
(AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) (finalist) - 2006 - Pictures of the Year International (honorable mention)
- 2007 - Association of American Publishers (honorable mention)
- 2007 - Written Press Trophy, Prix Bayeux-Calvados (finalist with Joanna Gilbertson)
- 2008 - The Staige D. Blackford Prize for Nonfiction
- 2009 - Photo District News, Photo Annual
Exhibitions
- Centre Georges-Pompidou (ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
) - The Museum of Contemporary photography (ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
) - Williams College Museum of Art (WilliamstownWilliamstown, MassachusettsWilliamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
) - The State Library of Victoria (MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
) - Centre for Contemporary Photography (MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
) - Australian Centre for Photography (SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
) - Chelsea market (New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
) - Arti et Amicitiae (AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) - Milan Triennale (MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
) - Nederlands Uitvaart Museum Tot Zover (AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
)
External links
- Ashley Gilbertson's official web page
- Website for the book Whiskey Tango Foxtrot including a video interview with Gilbertson
- Robert Capa Gold Medal
- On The Road article
- Last Photographs
- Iraq uncovered: a photo essay by Ashley Gilbertson