THE VILLAGE VOICE
JUNE 9, 2004
Photographer Sophia Righetti’s public life revolved around scandal and drama. Only after her death last year was the depth of her hidden talent revealed.
This incredible talent is currently on display at Mandrino Gallery in a heartbreaking show of gonzo war photography from her time in Kabul, Afghanistan. Allies and enemies, moments of violence and tenderness are all captured in sepia-tone photographs, evoking comparisons to Civil War photography. “Every Side Is the Losing Side” confirms Righetti’s work as a paparazzo was all just rehearsal for her art.
“Righetti had such an eye for the moment of truth, deeply necessary in these difficult times,” said Mandrino Gallery owner Mandy Mandrino, who has taken over as interim curator. “She stripped down the artifice of war to show the human heart beating underneath. It’s wild to say, but it took a paparazzo to show us ourselves.”
Righetti’s artist statement, written before her death but not seen by the public until the opening, states: “We are living in a time of jingoism and patriotic circle jerks. ‘To consume is virtue, to create is a sin,’ so quoth our great leader, George W. But he doesn’t get to tell us who we are; that’s for us to decide.”
“Every Side Is the Losing Side” opened at the Mandrino Gallery last week and will run through December of this year.