AES+F is a group of four Russian artists--Tatiana Arzamasova, Lev Evzovich, Evgeny Svyatsky, and Vladimir Fridkes. They create mixed media works as well as photography, video, and sculpture pieces.
The essence of the group is best illustrated through its artwork:
AES+F is known for its video "Last Riot" where "all are fighting against all and against themselves, where no difference exists any more between victim and aggressor, male and female. This world celebrates the end of ideology, history, and ethic." (http://www.aes-group.org/last_riot.asp)
Their first Photoshop experiment can be seen above. It is titled "Islamic Project" and includes a set of pictures where minarets or other images are superimposed on national landmarks. Here, the Statue of Liberty is shown in a burka with a Koran in her hand instead of the Declaration of Independence. The photos were not meant to be anti-Islamic or anti-US. Rather, they were intended to highlight paranoia within the media. Their art has been used by many anti-war protesters and has taken on a life of its own. (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article4149546.ece)
The group has also taken on another controversial topic: the death of Princess Diana of Wales. In the video "Who Wants to Live Forever" they depict a woman (acting as Princess Diana) on a car seat covered in blood. Again, the piece is not meant to be insulting: " 'We were in London when Princess Diana died and we were impressed by the medieval hysteria, like with a new saint,' Arzamasova says." (http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article4149546.ece)
AES+F sees itself as a microscope, looking closely into things that we experience every day and then portraying them at an extremely exaggerated level.
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