Philadelphia artist Daniel Heyman had the rare opportunity to attend the interviews of former Iraqi prisoners held at Abu Ghraib. While the subjects unfolded narratives of humiliation, Heyman drew them and incorporated their testimony into his images. An exhibition of Heyman’s compelling collection of portraits will open at DePaul University’s Art Museum, 2350 N. Kenmore Ave., North Gallery, Feb. 15 with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m.

The exhibition, “Abu Ghraib Detainee Interview Project,” will run through May 4. The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.

Heyman has traveled to Jordan and Turkey repeatedly since 2006 to witness the interviews that were conducted in preparation for a class-action lawsuit filed on the detainees’ behalf. (All the plaintiffs were released from prison without being charged.) “His initial intent was simply to add a human dimension to their narratives, but over time his images evolved into an alternative form of testimony,” explained Louise Lincoln, director of the museum.

The watercolors are boldly painted, and the use of multiple colors for the text accentuates the narrative. For the drypoints—prints made with steel needles—Heyman cut the metal printing plates directly during the testimonies, writing the texts rapidly in reverse. There are 23 images in the exibition, including a 34-foot long accordion book of watercolors and a projection on the floor of text in Arabic.

“This is extraordinarily difficult work to look at, but the discomfort the images produce is exceeded by the importance of the subject manner,” said Lincoln. “It’s an appropriate exhibition to show in a university context because it goes beyond news headlines—it takes on a set of issues with profound political and moral dimensions and addresses them in visual form.”

Prior to the opening reception, Heyman will give a public talk in the gallery at 3:30 p.m. He will be joined in an informal panel discussion by Cherif Bassiouni, distinguished research professor at DePaul’s College of Law and president of the International Human Rights Law Institute, and Susan Burke, senior partner of Burke-Pyle LLC, the Philadelphia law firm handling the lawsuit pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.