In this work, the artist cuts out and isolates individual figures from historical photographs of soldiers, without regard to differences in religion, language, race, or time period. Just as we would carefully clip and save a loved one’s photograph from our childhood, the artist removes these figures from their original contexts and grants them a special, intimate status.

Drawing inspiration from the simple paper model kits and cardboard toy soldiers that newspapers distributed during his childhood, the artist transforms these soldier images into miniature maquettes. In doing so, he reminds the viewer that soldiers have remained almost unchanged from the past to the present: the same posture, the same uniform, the same stern expression. Ultimately, they are all toy soldiers, tin soldiers.

The artist carefully arranges these figures in small scale, establishing front-to-back spatial relationships within a single box. Creating his own frame as if capturing a frozen memory pose, he brings them together into one unified composition. This small boxed scene, seemingly naïve in its appearance, quietly yet powerfully voices an anti-militarist statement; it questions the timeless and universal monotony of war, soldiering, and militarism.