In Between Gallery: Lost Connection I (2021)
Rick Findler
All throughout Bamyan Province (a picturesque mountainous region of Afghanistan 80 miles west of Kabul) thousands of unconnected and unfinished electricity pylons stretch for miles, and have done so for more than two years. Just 35% of Afghanistan's population has access to electricity, with the electricity sector fraught with tales of corruption. The pylons remain standing, unused and unemployed, symbolic of the corruption afflicting the electricity sector, the feeling of an abandoned population and their disillusionment toward the governing authorities. As the west turns it's back on Afghanistan, it is the people stuck in the middle which are affected the most. They feel abandoned - abandoned by both their government as well as the global powers that once protected them. These pylons, which once held so much promise for so many people, symbolise a nation forgotten by everyone.
Since the unprecedented takeover by the Taliban, the country finds itself in an even more difficult predicament. Help and support is difficult, however if you would like to support a trusted charity who is working out there, please visit The International Committee.
Shortlisted artists for this opportunity included:
Katie Bret-Day
Andy Billman
Ezra Evans
Joel Goldstein
William Arnold
Maya Elsie & Dominic Martlew, MISSOHIO Khaleem Mitchell-Patterson
About The Artist
Rick Findler (b.1984) is an award-winning photojournalist based in London, UK. After completing a Masters in Photojournalism at University of Westminster in 2007 Rick began his career as a freelance press photographer, mainly working in London and the surrounding areas. As his interest in global news grew Rick went on to cover the Libyan civil war in 2011, documented the rise and fall of ISIS across Syria and Iraq between 2012-2017, and has worked on stories in Somalia, Burundi, South Sudan, Lebanon, India-controlled Kashmir, Hong Kong and most recently Afghanistan earlier this year.
His work is regularly featured in leading publications such as The Guardian and The Sunday Times as well as books such as Inside ISIS: The Brutal Rise of a Terrorist Army. Rick is also invited to speak to companies, colleges and schools about his experiences, as well as the importance of fear management and how he has come to learn about making decisions under pressure.
