David Levinthal - Iraq

When David was in Amarillo for the 50th anniversary of Barbie. We talked about his latest work based on the Iraq war, and I have been dying to see it every since. Tonight, while researching for Photo History, I found a blog post on Art Blart with some great images from the series!

I.E.D.: War in Afghanistan and Iraq features eighteen color photographs by renowned photographer, David Levinthal, which seek to examine the way in which our society looks at war. The idea for this series was conceived when Levinthal recognized a flood of figurines and models available to the American consumer, depicting the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Through the use of these miniature soldiers, civilians and armored vehicles, Levinthal constructs extremely realistic dioramas that recreate the horrors of contemporary warfare. However, these photographs do not simply recreate scenes from a foreign war. Instead they bring a new perspective to the discourse about war, how it is broadcast in real time and how it relates to American society as a whole. Without interjecting his own prejudgments, David Levinthal asks the viewer to reconsider their own perceptions of reality.

Stellan Holm Gallery

Photo Credit: David Levinthal, Untitled from the series I.E.D.: War in Afghanistan and Iraq, 2008