The grin found on the faces of ill-treated children, a grotesque picture puzzle which includes both the martyrdom and subversion of mankind is entirely Helnwein’s invention. It is manifested in the metamorphic images of injured bodies. It is an obsessive pattern which is repeated in Helnwein’s pictorial representation of the world and in his artistic performances, serving as a metaphor for the invulnerability and invincibility deeply seated in man.