Before and After: powerful portraits of Vietnam veterans

A recent art acquisition captures the lifelong impact of war on many veterans.

In 2016, artist Andrea Malone got to know a group of men who regularly met in an Adelaide café she frequented. She learned they shared more than friendship: they were all Vietnam War veterans who met regularly as an informal post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) support group. She was inspired – and asked if she could share their stories.

Before painting their portraits, she recorded interviews with each of them. They often shared difficult memories of Vietnam and the long consequences it has had for their lives. Eventually each was diagnosed with PTSD and met each other through support services. They formed their own informal support group and have been friends for decades.

The portraits express the vulnerability the men revealed in the interviews: both in their subtle facial expressions and in including the colours of their uniforms into their skin. She conveys the feeling that their service was ‘ingrained into their skin.’

Exhibited in her exhibition Before and After (2016, Praxis Artspace Adelaide), it was the first time any of them had publicly shared their stories. The exhibition received national media coverage and Malone was awarded a Guildhouse/Helpmann mentorship. The project was funded with support of SA Government’s Anzac Committee.

The Memorial recently acquired the artworks and other records from the exhibition. They are a powerful record of the impact of war, as well as the changing public understanding of PTSD and post traumatic growth.

The Memorial holds many portraits, often traditional formal paintings of senior personnel in uniform. These deepen that collection by representing those who often escape notice, who served for a short time and then returned to civilian life.