World of Warfare, a day at the arms dealers fair

Julian Röder, World of Warfare. Demonstration of fighter jets at the IDEX – the largest arms fair in the middle east, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 2011. Credit: Julian Röder / Agentur OSTKREUZ / Picturetank

Julian Röder, World of Warfare. Credit: Julian Röder / Agentur OSTKREUZ / Picturetank

Julian Röder, World of Warfare. At the stand of BAE SYSTEMS at the IDEX – the largest arms fair in the middle east, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 2011. Credit: Julian Röder / Agentur OSTKREUZ / Picturetank

I’ve just spent a long weekend in Berlin to attend the Drones event organized by the Disruption Network Lab. The talks, panels and screening were engaging, informative and quite mind-blowing. I’ll be back with a report as soon as i’ve managed to give some intelligible form to whatever i scribbled on my notepad.

Since the event was taking place at Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, i got a chance to see one of the exhibitions running at the space this month: Boys and their Toys. Zur Omnipräsenz von Krieg und Waffen – auch in der Kunst… (which, according to my ultra rudimentary knowledge of German might mean something like Boys and their Toys. On the omnipresence of war and weapons – also in the art….) As the photos i took will easily demonstrate this is a very entertaining show with some moments of gravity.

The photo groupie that i am was particularly interested by Julian Röder’s series World of Warfare. Thrilling copy/paste action follows…

In February 2011, while popular protests were rising in the Arab world, the young photographer traveled to Abu Dhabi for the International Defense Exhibition and Conference. 50,000 military officers and arms dealers attended the fair. Some represent dictators. Others are mortal enemies: India, meet Pakistan. But here they meet and mingle, shopping for missile systems, assault rifles, and attack helicopters.

On a sunny morning, combat helicopters flew in attack formation over Abu Dhabi. Tanks rumbled through the streets, and commando teams launched assaults on barbed-wired encampments. But this display of military might wasn’t designed to start or suppress a rebellion. It was a sales pitch.

The copters, the tanks, the troops–all were part of a carefully choreographed spectacle designed to impress 50,000 military officers, arms dealers, and government representatives from 150 nations. It was the start of the biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference, or IDEX, the Middle East’s largest arms fair. There were media presentations to be seen, VIPs to schmooze, and plenty of speculation about the ongoing Arab spring. One could see a wide range of weapons and riot-gear that are not suitable for the battlefield but for street fights against the own revolting population. But mostly there were guns. Lots of guns.

Julian Röder, World of Warfare. Credit: Julian Röder / Agentur OSTKREUZ / Picturetank

Julian Röder, WOrld of Warfare. Demonstration of fighter jets at the IDEX – the largest arms fair in the middle east, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 2011. Credit: Julian Röder / Agentur OSTKREUZ / Picturetank

Julian Röder, World of Warfare. Credit: Julian Röder / Agentur OSTKREUZ / Picturetank

Julian Röder, World of Warfare. At the IDEX – the largest arms fair in the middle east, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 2011. Credit: Julian Röder / Agentur OSTKREUZ / Picturetank

Julian Röder, World of Warfare. Russian stand at the IDEX – the largest arms fair in the middle east, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 2011. Credit: Julian Röder / Agentur OSTKREUZ / Picturetank

Boys and their Toys. Zur Omnipräsenz von Krieg und Waffen – auch in der Kunst… is at Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien until 26 April 2015.

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