Different Country, Same Shit

“Different Country, Same Shit” Symbolizes the reality of spending decades working inside crisis zones and conflict environments where patterns eventually begin repeating themselves regardless of country, language or ideology. After years of operating inside war zones, terrorism threats and unstable regions, certain behaviors, reactions and procedures stop feeling unique and instead become recognizable cycles that return over and over again in different forms.

Violence, instability and human behavior all follow a certain baseline. Whether it is war, terrorism, political collapse or personal attacks, the procedures surrounding survival and operational response remain largely identical. The countermeasures, risk assessments and reactions eventually become automatic because the structure behind chaos is often more predictable than people outside these environments realize. 

The painting reflects the understanding that every country carries its own atmosphere, pressure and level of danger, but the underlying human behavior rarely changes.

Somewhere it is hotter, somewhere it smells worse, somewhere the buildings are different, but eventually the same tension, fear, ego, corruption and instability continue repeating themselves beneath different flags and languages.

Created on canvas using acrylic paint applied with access passes from different embassy compounds, the cover of my diplomatic passport and a Glock magazine. The bullet holes were individually created using 9mm cartridges. I use real operational materials to leave something of myself behind in the canvas to give the art a soul.

Dimensions 75 X 55 cm on canvas