Peter van Agtmael, American Society Photographer

PETER VAN AGTMAEL / MAGNUM PHOTOS

Born in Washington DC in 1981, Peter van Agtmael began his career as a photographer in the war fields where the United States was involved. Since 2006, he has chosen to document the effects of what he calls “American imperialism” abroad and its impact on the soil of the United States.

What link do you have with your country, which you have observed and photographed for almost fifteen years?

I am interested in the complexities and contradictions of American society. As I traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan, I was able to see the repercussions of American interventions in these regions. These observations changed my perception of the effects engendered by this taste for war that previous American governments had on social classes, communities… and I then understood the power of propaganda.

Thought I saw it all, but 2020 has somehow brought together all the political and social tensions of recent years. It led to this historic, disturbing, truly moving period.

In your career, does the year 2020 have a particular tone?

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, I really thought about escaping. I was scared, I wondered if I would have the courage to work. Eventually arose the need to document everything, as much as I could, to make this moment my own.

This year 2020 crystallizes all my concerns: the horror of the Covid, the return of the civil rights movement, political tensions … The United States had not known such an eventful episode since 1968 [assassinat de Martin Luther King, élection de Richard Nixon, guerre au Vietnam, émeutes…] ! Besides, I would have loved to be a photographer at that time. There are days when I see American dramas as the promise of necessary and lasting change. On bad days, I fear civil discord and even war.