The White Picture

A photographic exhibition giving an intimate view of life for female soldiers serving in Afghanistan is being presented by The Royal British Legion at the gallery@oxo.

The images highlight how women, both British and Afghan, respond to the often austere conditions in which they find themselves and how they maintain their morale and individuality in the face of demanding circumstances.

The photographs are a result of the photojournalist Alison Baskerville's embedded position with British forces earlier this year for the Legion where she had unprecedented access to the British Army's Female Engagement Officers and women at the Afghan National Army's Training Centre in Kabul.

The British Army's Female Engagement Officers (FEOs) work to build relationships with Afghan women in some of the most dangerous parts of Helmand. As interaction between women and male soldiers is strictly forbidden in these communities, FEOs are female volunteers from across the army who receive specialist cultural and language training to help them carry out this role.

The exhibition is titled 'The White Picture' after the term used to describe the effect the Female Engagement Officers contribute to by gathering information for the wider intelligence picture, which sits outside the usual military objectives but is vital in the battle for hearts and minds.

More information on the British Royal Legion.

See a video of the exhibition launch here.

Exhibition information
Dates: 25 October - 11 November 2012
Opening times: 11am-6pm daily
Admission: Free
Venue: gallery@oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf,
South Bank, London SE1 9PH