Youngest Female War Artist’s Experience with a Suicide Bomber

In 2013, Charlie Calder-Potts became the youngest female war artist commissioned by the British Army, seeking to explore Afghanistan’s culture amidst conflict. Captured behind barbed wire, her poignant images, including one of a man with helium balloons, symbolize hope amidst turmoil. While embedded with troops at Camp Bastion, she documented the stark contrasts of beauty and danger in the region. Charlie’s work combined photography and salvaged materials, reflecting the complex realities of life in a war zone.