From a height of three meters, porcelain figurines are dropped on the ground, and the sound they make when they hit trips the shutter release. The result: razor-sharp images of disturbing beauty—temporary sculptures made visible to the human eye by high-speed photography technology. The porcelain statuette bursting into pieces isn't what really captures the attention; the fascination lies in the genesis of a dynamic figure that replaces the static pose. In contrast to the inertness of the intact kitsch figurines Klimas started out with, the photographs of their destruction possess a powerfully narrative character.

A man looks at members of the flash mob group calling themselves the «Brides of March» (“Grab a wedding dress and join the brides as we parade through the heart of San Francisco, strolling through Union Square, shopping at fancy stores and drinking at local bars!”) as they stand outside a bar March 18, 2006 in San Francisco. The flash mob group made their way through the streets stopping at bars, cafes, and several stores. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Visitors to Kensington Gardens are reflected in Anish Kapoor's sculpture “C-Curve 2007” on September 27, 2010 in London, England. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

Beluga the bog poses as Britney Spears during the 17th annual Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade October 28, 2007 in New York City. The event is the largest dog Halloween party in the United States with an annual attendance of over 400 costumed dogs. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Raka Soko, a traditional healer and Poro society member is deep in prayer while holding a broom and a bottle filled with spiritual wine that is purified to show gratitude to the gods before a ceremony in Waterloo on November 26, 2018. Standing across the field from him another member, Amos Nicol, holds a statue of the spiritual god Sama Yorbu which is used to communicate directly to other gods for permission to perform. (Photo by Lynn Rossi/AFP Photo)

Fireworks illuminate the sky over downtown Seoul during the International fireworks festival 2007 at Han River on October 13, 2007 in Seoul, South Korea. The United States, Japan and South Korea have team was attending the festival. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Japanese toy maker Takara Tomy's world's smallest humanoid robot “i-Sobot” is displayed during the Toy Forum 2007 on January 23, 2007 in Tokyo, Japan. The 165mm height robot is able to walk, play the drums and keep its balance. (Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images)

German photographer Martin Klimas, who you may remember from his exploding porcelain figure series, creates breathtaking photos of flowers exploding into a million beautiful pieces. To achieve this effect, he soaks the petals in liquid nitrogen to make them brittle and hits the flower with an air gun.