Primarily a photographer, Steve Strawn captures the perspective of a shell-shocked eyewitness to futuristic battle scenes, as robots destroy cities, terrorize dolls and smash innocent plastic civilians. The staged scenes, which contain the imaginary narratives we enact as children, transform play into reality when photographed. The proximity of this work to contemporary scenes of war is frightening, yet beautifully gruesome in its use of lighting, framing, and form. Not unlike still frames from an action film, the works become stunning documents of the way in which we learn to battle at such an early age – against our siblings, our friends or our enemies.
