Photographs by Jens Umbach

Since February 2010, photographer Jens Umbach has been working on his own project, in which he has photographed German Army soldiers and their families. He took pictures of soldiers of different branches of the armed forces before they were sent to Afghanistan, during their preparatory training, then in Masar-e Sharif and later after their return to Germany. These are views of object and bodyguards, military chaplains, repairmen and Tornado pilots. The soldiers' wives, husbands and children were also photographed while they waited for their partners/fathers/mothers stationed in Afghanistan, as well as the injured and surviving dependants. In months of work, an extremely interesting and important cross-section of people directly affected by the mission was created. For the first time, the exhibition pictures create a different and so far unique view of the war in Afghanistan and the people directly affected by it. They form a lasting document that allows a completely new way of viewing. A decelerated and reflected view, which is taken up by the portraits of the people and does not show the war directly.