STATE BUSINESS (2012-ongoing)
In STATE BUSINESS the photographer Mari Bastashevski focuses on organizations and individuals who profit from the commercial aspects of protracted armed conflicts. On the basis of examples – in this case, the shadowy weapons deliveries to Armenia and Azerbaijan, which are involved in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh – one can demonstrate how commerce fuels these conflicts. An array of images, text and documents expose the underlying mechanisms and raise questions about the economic and ethical aspects of trade related to conflicts. In this, Bastashevski’s concerns include the grey area between legal and illegal trade, the culture of secrecy, perverse stimuli, the overlap between governments and commercial enterprises, and the rationalizations denying responsibility.
