Lichen War Cartography

The images are about the war and its aftermath reflected in the lichen patterns. Lichens are wonderful ancient symbiotic microorganisms consisting of microalgae and fungi. Countless lichen drawings on the rocks sometimes resemble country-like patterns. To depict massive destructions in Ukraine after Russian’s invasion and outline other world conflicts, I used images of growing lichens. Each war ends either with a peace treaty resembling a symbiosis-like relationship between parties or leads to long-term unresolved conflict, as what happened in the Holy Land, Korean peninsula and Cyprus island. If left unresolved, conflict may sooner or later escalate and lead to unpredictable violence, as happens in a war between Hamas and Israel.