Different Country, Same Shit

Different Country, Same Shit

“Different Country, Same Shit” symbolizes the reality of decades working in conflict zones and crisis environments, where patterns ultimately keep repeating, regardless of country, language, or ideology. After years of operating in war zones, under terrorist threats, and in unstable regions, certain behaviors, reactions, and procedures no longer feel unique, but become recognizable cycles that reappear in different forms.

Violence, instability, and human behavior often follow the same basic patterns. Whether it's war, terrorism, political collapse, or personal threats, the procedures associated with survival and operational action largely remain the same. Countermeasures, risk analyses, and reactions ultimately become almost automatic, because the structure behind chaos is often more predictable than people outside these environments realize.

This painting reflects the realization that every country has its own atmosphere, pressure, and degree of danger, but that underlying human behavior rarely changes significantly.

Somewhere it’s warmer, somewhere it smells worse, and somewhere the buildings look different, but ultimately the same tension, fear, egos, corruption, and instability always return under different flags and in different languages.

This work was created on canvas with acrylic paint applied using access passes from various embassy complexes, the cover of my diplomatic passport, and a Glock magazine. The bullet holes were applied separately with 9mm cartridges. I use real operational materials to leave something of myself in the canvas and give the artwork the soul it deserves.

Dimensions: 75 × 55 cm, canvas.

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This original artwork is individually registered in The Operational Art Archive and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity & Provenance. Individually signed by the artist (P2M).

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