These collages are created from photo enhanced scenic landscape posters, often border line kitsch, available in local mall centers and cutouts from National Geographic Magazines, carefully chosen to fit the scale. At first glance, these pieces are typical scenes of beautiful landscapes from around the world. Only at a closer look we encounter the atrocities strewn through the scenes. Collages created what seems like an unexpected yet inconsequential contrast of beauty and atrocity.

Though I did not experience war first hand I've always seen the before and aftermath. I had never expected that the places that I had once traveled to would be the stage for slaughter, rape, and cultural cleansing.

The background landscapes are taken from a variety of countries from New Zealand to Switzerland. These are often places where we see an idyllic presentation of what seem to appear to a broad audience as peaceful landscapes, noting that would be associated with any aspect of our civilization, in particular violence and/or chaos. By placing photos of actual people, soldiers, military machinery from war torn countries as photographed on very different locations around the globe, and occasionally presenting them as active participants of violent actions such as mass-murder, rape, slaughter, etc.. I wanted to emphasize the universal nature of warfare. It can happen anywhere and to anyone.

The manner in which the scenery is photographed and digitally altered allowed me to use it as merely a backdrop to the humans and their actions. People appear to be temporary in these scenes, their impact to nature is minimal, yet the destruction of manmade structures is evident. Furthermore, the only true and universal victims are people . Ideas and ideals of any civilization and culture are temporary, but the consequences of spreading them often are paid in lost of numerous generations.

People lucky not to be born in Africa, Middle East or Balkans in second half of XX century, look at the news on TV with a distant eye that censors them from truly understanding or feeling the true nature, form and magnitude of atrocities that are indeed happening daily . Even when presented to the audience, visual information come with warning. Interpreted independently what actually is happening to millions of people in one or a few parts of the World, becomes a possible upsetting theme to the viewers in other parts of the globe.

Similarly, when we look at war scenes on these collages we become disconnected and see a photoshopped beauty. Terrible things are happening but the beauty of the scenery tends to distract our feelings and supercede the immensity of the situation. The choice of what to see is left with a viewer. Some would rather enjoy the flowers than focus on the images of war. Is it possible that we have become so discerning and so well trained that we only see what we want to see: seeing beauty in nature, culture, civilization, and war.