Federico Vespignani
Short-term, but Long-term
In 2024, Federico Vespignani collected over 300 screenshots from dating apps where IDF soldiers stationed in Gaza put up selfies or portraits of themselves, as profile images, in the midst of the surrounding destruction. The words and images were created as a prelude to a romantic encounter with a future partner, reflecting a kind of cultural militarism within Israeli society. The gulf between the normal desires of these young men and the horror that can be glimpsed in the background shows us just how degrading war is destroying not only those who suffer it but also those who make it. A dating app that could be called Come Together is instead used by men who push away any possible reconciliation. The glorification of some bodies depends on the destruction of others.
