War Games

Venieri’s images explore the juxtaposition of hyper-realistic photographs of war taken from film-stills and the news media with seemingly naïve images of children’s dolls. Positioned, digitally, to fit within the eyes of children’s dolls, the works disarm viewers at first glance, while delivering a potent punch of terror upon further inspection. The serene dolls volunteer themselves to our gaze, beckoning the viewer to approach in an unguarded and vulnerable state. Images of genocide, suicide bombings, and the devastation caused by the allied bombing of Nagasaki are literally pulled from the headlines of CNN and Fox news. Captured inside the reflections of the haunting gaze of these empty vessels, they create a mysterious relationship between two conspicuously diverse visual worlds. This bold work opens up the possibilities of technology in a way that echoes both modern genetic science and the uncanny effects of the Surrealists.