Pain and Grace of Vietnam
An Interview with Photographer, Jim Gensheimer
By Allison Martin
Jim
Gensheimer is a photojournalist at the San Jose Mercury News. Named
California Press Photographer of the year in 1988 and 1992, Jim Gensheimer also documented the plight
of Vietnamese boat people in 1987.
In this interview, Jim Gensheimer discusses the aftermath of pain of the war and the transformation of the Vietnamese people.
What inspired you to create "Pain and Grace, A Journey Through Vietnam"?
Jim Gensheimer: Beginning with my first trip in 1987, I approached
Vietnam photographically as an opportunity that may never come my way again.
With this in mind, I photographed everything I saw.
After a couple of trips, I realized I was building a body of work that could one day be a book. On subsequent trips, besides making photographs for newspaper publication, I began to make photographs with a book in mind.
During the nineties, I came to realize the historical uniqueness of post-war
Vietnam. I wanted to make a book that told the story of Vietnam returning to
normal and opening to the West. The book starts out showing boat people
being rescued on the South China Sea. It later shows refugees returning to Vietnam
as visitors.
The theme of pain and grace developed as I returned to Vietnam several times.
There is the pain of personal loss and suffering caused by the war. And there
is the grace of the land and its people.
Your photographs in "Pain and Grace" evoke a strong emotional response.
What ideas did you wish to convey in your work?
Jim Gensheimer: I want to show the real Vietnam. There are many
books that show pretty landscapes and pretty people. In my book, there is some
of that, but I also show the less fortunate, whether it be a one-legged veteran
scooting along on his hands or children deformed from Agent Orange laying on
a hospital floor.
A co-worker said of my photographs, "they're beautiful without being pretty."
Could you describe how you create your images? What do you look for?
Jim Gensheimer: Most of my images are candid. I shoot 35mm slide
film.
I look for images that tell a story and communicate a universal truth. It could
be the awkwardness of meeting for the first time as in one image of a returning
Vietnamese man meeting his sister for the first time after 19 years of separation.
Or it could be the innocence of a young girl as seen in the cover photograph
of the book. Like Vietnam, she stands at a crossroads. I try to make photographs
that everyone can relate to.
Vietnam is a mysterious place. In the beginning I tried to make photographs
that explained the mystery. Later, I decided to make photographs that portrayed
the mystery. The final photo in the book is of a woman watching rice being harvested.
Her back is to the camera. We do not see her face. This adds a mystery to the
photograph. The more you get to know Vietnam, the less you know about the country.
What impressed you most about Vietnam? About Vietnamese people?
Jim Gensheimer: I've been impressed with Vietnamese warmness toward
Americans. They don't show any animosity over the war. The Vietnamese are curious
about us. They want to get to know us.
One of the themes of your book is the juxtaposition of past and present in
Vietnamese life today. What influences do you see shaping Vietnam as it
moves into the future?
Jim Gensheimer: Over half of Vietnam's population is under 25 years
of age. They did not experience the war. Young people in Vietnam are concerned
with making a living. They want to be prosperous. They look to western countries
as examples of prosperity.
The party officials on the other hand are concerned about Vietnam changing too
fast. They remember having to make do with little. So they are happy with the
present situation. They fear that more open trade will lead to a decline in
Vietnamese values.
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