Gaining access to a number of restricted sites and individuals, Andres Serrano’s recent Torture series develops as a cabinet of curiosities, following the evolution of punitive and coercive torture techniques into its modern-day manifestation. Juxtaposing images of authentic torture devices from acclaimed museum collections with replicas from kitsch torture museums, commercialisation and theatricality come into question. Portraits of individuals who have been victims of brutal black and white torture are positioned next to the whistle-blowers, as complex layers of blame and complicity further muddy the waters between obligations and accountability. This ambiguity is developed through large-scale recreations of torture methods, where consenting models were photographed in degrading positions, causing them actual physical distress during the staging of the scene. Seen together for the fi rst time, the stark similarities between prisons, interrogation cells, death camps, and immigration centres confronts us with the cyclical nature of history as the artist becomes the torturer and we become the spectator, both sides participating in the complex web of entertainment and responsibility.