First Contact, Last Barbecue by Retrotimes

This work is dry, absurd and razor-sharp at the same time. Two men sit silently opposite each other by a campfire in the desert. No panic, no sensation. Just chairs, denim overalls, a pickup truck in the background — and between them: an alien on a spit. As if this has happened a hundred times before. As if this is exactly what you do when something unknown literally falls out of the sky.

The power of this image lies in the total normalisation of the bizarre. The crashed spaceship lies carelessly in the sand, still glowing, but receives less attention than the fire. The men don't look shocked, curious or morally confused. They look like people who have experienced something, decided not to think about it too deeply, and are continuing with their evening.

Here, science fiction collides head-on with Americana. The unknown is not studied or revered, but approached practically. If you don't understand something, you might as well roast it. This makes the image both funny and uncomfortable. It raises questions about how we deal with the 'other', the unexpected, the unfit. Not with violence, but with careless matter-of-factness.

As a print, this image works as a sharp conversation starter. It is visually calm, almost classically constructed, but in terms of content, downright brutal. Perfect for people with a dry sense of humour, a love of absurdism and a healthy suspicion of grand narratives about progress and contact. This is not a sci-fi epic. This is what happens after the news report — when the coffee is finished and the fire is still burning.