In this podcast, hosts Simone Obregon and Hollis Hale discuss the photograph Guerrilla Zone, taken by Donna DeCesare in 1988. They delve into the history behind this photograph, talking about the El Salvadoran Civil War and the context in which this photograph is understood. Analyzing the image alongside another piece of DeCesare’s work, Untitled (2001) as well as an image of Robert Nickelson’s, Untitled (1992), born out of the same conflict; they question the perspective of which the photograph was taken and how it impacts its truth value. They question and break down how exactly Guerrilla Zone portrays the Salvadoran Civil War and how it highlights the power dynamics present between both the two conflicting parties within El Salvador, as well as DeCesare and her subjects. Through this use of visual and historical analysis, Hollis and Simone are able to determine the documentary value of DeCesare’s work.

Click here for a transcription and bibliography as well as images of the work’s discussed in today’s episode.

This podcast is part of the Crop and Click series featuring student research on documentary photography from our collection. ⁠Click here for a portfolio of all the works discussed in the series.

Hosted and produced by Simone Obregon and Hollis Hale. Cover art by Lucy Sherman ’23.