Class War is a serie of 6 photo's.

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Class War is a thought-provoking photography series born out of a unique collaboration between Fondation A Stichting and Sint Augustinus School in Brussels. In this project, schoolchildren were invited to “play war,” re-enacting scenes of conflict with the innocence and imagination characteristic of childhood. The resulting photographs, visually striking and imbued with a sense of naive beauty, serve as a striking juxtaposition to the grim realities of war.

 

Inspired by Georges Senga’s Kadogos series and his exhibition Cette Maison N’est Pas à Vendre at Fondation A in April 2019, Class War draws on Senga’s exploration of childhood and conflict, but reinterprets it through a contemporary lens. The children’s playful and somewhat romanticized interpretations of war create a sharp contrast to the brutal and violent truth of real warfare, particularly the harrowing reality faced by child soldiers in conflict zones. In their play, the children mimic the gestures, strategies, and emotions associated with war, but their innocent approach highlights the distance between imagination and experience.

 

At first glance, the photographs are deceptively beautiful. The compositions, with their attention to light, color, and the physicality of the children, evoke a sense of adventure, almost reminiscent of childhood games in an idyllic setting. The children are absorbed in their roles, unaware of the heavy historical and political weight that their playful interpretations carry. Yet, beneath the surface of these aesthetically pleasing images lies a deeper tension: the contrast between the playful re-enactment of war by children and the reality faced by children who are forced into actual conflict.

 

The series serves as a commentary on how war permeates even the most innocent spaces, and how society often romanticizes or trivializes the very concept of conflict, particularly through the eyes of children. By having these schoolchildren “play war,” the work underscores how easily the lines between innocence and violence can blur, and how children, even in peaceful settings, are not immune to the pervasive influence of war in the world around them.

 

 

The serie was exhibited at Kresija Gallery in Ljubljana, Slovenia: About 'A veš… you know!?': Four Belgian and four Slovenian emerging artists meet in a pop-up exhibition. The show offers a profound impression of their artistic portfolio. They observe the surrounding space and reality with openness and empathy. Although they express themselves in different media, they share an interest in the fictitious and utopian future of urban and rural landscapes.

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