Michael Love

The bitter traces evident in the remains of structures built during the Cold War (1947-91) in numerous Western countries form the primary materials for Michael Love's photographic projects. For many years, the Vancouver-based artist has visited and photographed sites marked by relics of the Cold War: in Albania, Germany, Canada, Crimea, Ukraine, and elsewhere. The now decayed but once imposing buildings and sites, designed to protect against attacks from the American empire or the Soviet bloc, take on a ghostly and surreal aspect, serving as a stark reminder of a relatively recent period in history. Sometimes Love's photographs reveal only the ravages of time that have transformed these structures into ruins. In his recent works, Love takes inspiration from the archives of the US Library of Congress devoted to this period.