[tweetmeme] What do Saddam Hussein & Star wars have in common?
This is more or less the question Michael Rakowitz asks himself in his latest exhibition at Tate Modern taking some parts of the dictator’s famous sculptures like the “Swords of Qādisiyyah”.
Michael Rakowitz is what some people call “a cultural archaeologist”, uncovering an unexpected network of connections between historical fact and fantasy. “The worst condition is to pass under a sword which is not one’s own” traces links between western science fiction and military-industrial activities in Iraq during and after Saddam Hussein’s regime.
In this and other aspects of the project the artist explores how powerful contemporary mythologies derived from popular culture have informed the collective unconscious. Fictional characters from Darth Vader to Sgt. Slaughter coexist with historical figures in Rakowitz’s symbolic universe, in which warrior fantasies transcend the alleged divide between east and west.
Starting yesterday, you have until May 3rd @ Tate Modern – London…. Enjoy!
