Growing up in suburban Canada, photographer and artist Kyle Berger was inspired by the unique urban sprawl of his hometown, describing his surroundings as “a relic of late age suburbia with endless newly developed communities surrounded by big box stores, fast food restaurants, and an ambiguous sense of self.” He now travels around America documenting similar landscapes with his signature tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.

With “If There was Money on the Ground Someone Would Have Already Found it,” he seamlessly merges photography and digital collage, emphasizing notions of hyperreality and asking the viewer to question if what they’re seeing is real. Set against backdrops of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, the digitally altered images highlight various globally perceived ‘American’ characteristics: opulence, indulgence, materialism, and cultural influence, blurring the lines between fact and fiction. “There is not one image in this series that hasn’t been tooled with,” he explains. In capturing the hyperreality of America’s fabricated utopia and assumed identity, the project addresses complex and sometimes heavy themes with a sense of lightness and humor.

See more from “If There Was Money On The Ground Someone Would Have Already Found It” below!