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Evacuees

Joe Biden and Boris Johnson cling to their respective flags. The flags are attached to a woman wearing a head covering. Scott Morrison looks glum. Helicopters are in the background.

With helicopters in silhouette against a soft sky, David Rowe suggests that desperate Afghans are not the only ones escaping this troubled country, and highlights who among those left behind is most vulnerable as they go. Rowe has fleeing leaders clinging to their flags as a trapped woman gazes past them directly at the viewer. After 20 years of war in Afghanistan, his poignant image reflects the tragedy of what is left. 

- Karen Middleton, guest curator