A peek at the real Afghanistan

There must be a lot of space behind the headlines because so many people lay claim to it. But Host Gallery's new show has more justification than most to inhabit the areas not visible beyond the rolling body count that is current media coverage of Afghanistan.

Photojournalist Nick Danziger was commissioned by the Department For International Development (DFID) to provide an insight into Afghan lives over the past five years. The results weave together 14 true-life accounts into a fabric of society removed from militias and Royal Marines.

And weave they do - the images on display at Host, which also appear in a brochure published by DFID, are printed on to canvas rolls that resemble prayer mats. Chosen for ease of transport to future exhibitions in Afghanistan, the format means each pixel is textured, like the fibres sewn by Kubra, a tailoring teacher for village women, or 18-year-old apprentice weaver Mohammed Naim.

Skill sharing is a thread often shown to be uniting the Afghans portrayed by Danziger, although inevitably the collection has a ring of 'what the Government wants us to see' about it. But the pictures avoid being case studies: despite illustrating success stories for development policies, spontaneous composition and grainy colour manage to shed the sheen of posed propaganda shots.

From the president's chief of staff and women's rights activists to former labourers in poppy fields freed from the tyranny of opium production, this is a collage view of Afghanistan that deserves a peek through the front pages.

Until Nov 18, Host Gallery, 1 Honduras Street EC1, Mon to Fri 10am to 6pm, Sat 11am to 4pm, free. Tel: 020 7253 2770. www.hostgallery.co.uk Tube: Old Street/Barbican

Behind The Headlines - Afghan Lives
Host Gallery
1 Honduras Street
EC1