Artist’s Name: Doug Mercado
Location: ARC Gallery 734 North Milwaukee Avenue Chicago, IL 60622
Show Title: Photographs from Darfur: Everyday Life in a Fractured Land
Media: Photography
Dates: July 5, 2006 – July 29, 2006
Photographs from Darfur: Everyday Life in a Fractured Land provides a glimpse into ordinary and yet extraordinary lives of the people of Darfur caught up in a conflict that has forever altered the landscape of the region.
Artist’s Statement
Involved in humanitarian relief efforts in Darfur over the past three years, I’ve attempted to capture elements of “ordinary” life among internally displaced persons and other war-affected populations. Civilians in Darfur bear the brunt of the brutality, their lives torn asunder. They embrace or confront the new reality of their lives with remarkable courage and strength. In many ways, they are people no different than you or I. But unlike us, they must construct their lives against the backdrop of extreme cruelty and bewildering uncertainty.
Artist’s Biography
Doug Mercado has managed humanitarian relief and post-disaster recovery programs over the past 16 years in a number of countries including Sudan, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sri Lanka and Eritrea for the United Nations, non-governmental organ
izations and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). He most recently has served as the Team Leader for USAID’s Darfur Field Office in Sudan. Documenting humanitarian response to conflict and natural disasters through photography has become an integral part of each mission. When back in the United States, he speaks at universities and other events to increase awareness of global issues linked to international disaster management.
