Childlike innocence meets the horrors of war.
In striking photos taken by California artist Brian McCarty, scenes of violence witnessed by children in areas of conflict are reenacted using toys in a project McCarty calls WAR-TOYS.
McCarty, who is usually known for his cartoony, surrealist photos using toys, decided to take on a more serious project. Feature Shoot reports that McCarty traveled to the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel, to document what children in the areas experienced.
Multiple children drew the artist pictures of frightening and violent scenes, which McCarty then recreated in the same spots the children had been.
"When possible and under the guidance of specialists, I invite the children to actively participate and use the photographic process as a form of therapeutic play," McCarty says on his website. "The resulting photographs provide an interpretive document of witnessed events and context for the children’s accounts."
According to Feature Shoot, McCarty plans to travel to Afghanistan, Sudan, and Colombia to continue his project.
See the full collection below.