Iraqi Extraction (2007)
These are photographs of teeth that were extracted from Iraqi prisoners of war by U.S. Army medics during the first Gulf War. The oversized images are symbolic of how humanity can exist within the paradigm of war.
When I was first told what these teeth were, I was immediately horrified, assuming that the teeth were extracted for torture purposes, (i.e. Abu Gharib), or that they were some kind of morbid souvenir from the battlefield. However, they were not removed under coercion: they were removed at the request of the Iraqi soldiers because their own health care was insufficient and they were in pain. Immediately I was taken aback and realized that I was drawing a conclusion
not based on truth. My bias was creating a false reality.
These teeth have become symbolic in many ways and present a way to contemplate the atrocities that happen daily in Iraq and other war torn areas of the world. Teeth are unique. Like fingerprints, no two sets of teeth are identical. The enamel being 98 percent inorganic,, teeth are the most durable part of the human body and sometimes the only remaining fragment available for identification. It is more common for a person to have been to the dentist than to have been fingerprinted and therefore, "forensic dentistry plays a major roll in the identification of those who cannot be identified visually or by other means."