Lecture: After Afghanistan - Ben Quilty, James Brown and Michael Fullilove

In October 2011, Ben Quilty travelled to Afghanistan as an official war artist. His task was to record and interpret the experiences of Australian servicemen and women deployed as part of Operation Slipper in Kabul, Kandahar, and Tarin Kot in Afghanistan and at Al Minhad Airbase in the United Arab Emirates.

The Lowy Institute’s James Brown, former Australian Army officer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has argued that commemoration of war has lost its way. There is a gap between civilian and military life which has never been wider, presenting its own set of problems. And as soldiers return from present-day conflicts, resources for their rehabilitation into civilian life are thinner than ever before.

On 11 June, we invite you to join us for a panel event moderated by Lowy Institute’s Executive Director Michael Fullilove, with Ben Quilty and James Brown as they reflect on their mutual experiences from Afghanistan.

Ben Quilty is an Australian artist producing rich visual images which have earned him a national reputation.

In October 2011, the Australian War Memorial commissioned Quilty as an official war artist in Afghanistan to interpret the experiences of Australian Defence Force personnel participating in Operation Slipper. more

James Brown served as an officer in the Australian Army prior to joining the Lowy Institute. He commanded a cavalry troop in Southern Iraq, served on the Australian task force headquarters in Baghdad, and was attached to Special Forces in Afghanistan. He was awarded a commendation for work in the Solomon Islands and as an operational planner at the Australian Defence Force Headquarters Joint Operations Command. more

Michael Fullilove is the Executive Director of the Lowy Institute.

Dr Fullilove has been associated with the Lowy Institute since its establishment. He wrote the feasibility study for the Institute in 2002 and has served as the Director of its Global Issues Program since 2003. He has also worked as a Visiting Fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, an adviser to Prime Minister Paul Keating, and a lawyer. He remains a Nonresident Senior Fellow at Brookings. more