The poems in this collection were written by the School of Music poets in response to Triage: An Artist in Kandahar, an exhibition of paintings by artist Karen Bailey when she was a volunteer appointed military artist with the Canadian Military Forces at the Role 3 Hospital, Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan.
Poets and painters share a similar history in documenting war. Without the efforts of artists the human story of war would never be memorialised; for generations poets have written about the effects of conflict, history books are filled with images depicting war.
The poems here are moving, the compassion shown is palpable. It’s as if each poet was with me during my experiences in Kandahar. You have been able to put into words what I can only say with paint. I feel privileged to be part of this collaboration with the poets of Canberra, Australia.
Karen Bailey, December 2013
More about the exhibition on Karen’s website
Poems: In Response to Triage
Selected artworks from Karen Bailey’s paintings of the Role 3 Hospital, Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan.
The poems in this collection were published on 21 February 2014.
- Three circles of safety, Sandra Renew
- Maple leaf stars, Hazel Hall
- Orange, Hazel Hall
- Military artist in Kandahar, Sandra Renew
- IEDs just don’t care, Tony Williams
- Thirty-nine, Hazel Hall
- Sacred, Moya Pacey
- Sanctification, Janne D Graham
- If you are thinking religiously, Moya Pacey
- Afghanistan: soldiers and poets, Sandra Renew
- Portrait in a war zone, Janne D Graham
- Lament on wars in the deserts, Sandra Renew
Order a copy the booklet In Response to Triage: sompoets.canberra@gmail.com
Images of artworks on this page © copyright Karen Bailey, all rights reserved.
