Brian McCarty’s work might seem ironically playful at a first glance. But though the photographer uses toys as his subject matter, his work is a sincere examination of trauma. Since 2011, McCarty has traveled to war-torn areas in the Middle East and interviewed children affected by the destruction with the help of therapists. The drawings elicited from the interviews — some extremely violent and others optimistic — served as the basis for his ongoing photo series, War Toys, where violent acts witnessed by children are reenacted by toys acquired in their local areas.
On November 5, McCarty will open his solo show, “War Toys: Israel, West Bank, Gaza Strip,” presented by Tinca Art at the Peanut Underground project space in NYC. Featuring photographs as well as the original children’s drawings, the show will celebrate the release of McCarty’s monograph, War Toys Vol. 1. McCarty will be doing a book signing at Peanut on November 9 and continuing the book tour with events in Marin County, LA and Seattle. The exhibition “War Toys” will be on view at Peanut Underground November 5 through 26.
