Athar Jaber is working to produce a new artwork that will push the limits of sculptural practice while having a positive and regenerative impact on society.
“Sculpture, and I am hereby referring to stone carving, is a creative art that is characterized by a destructive process. Hammering and chiseling on a block of stone are inherently violent and aggressive actions. But they have creative intentions.”
“When ISIS stormed the Mosul Museum in Iraq 2015, the shocking footage of their destructive actions made me realize that the tools deployed by them to destroy are exactly the same tools that I daily use in my studio to create.”
Aiming to protect endangered cultural heritage sites, and in response to iconoclastic practices, in specific the destruction of world cultural heritage in Iraq, the project FRIENDLY FIRE will adopt ISIS’ destructive means and repurpose them for creative ends, while aiming at undoing the damage inflicted upon Iraq’s monuments.
The traditional stone carving tools such as hammer and chisel will be replaced by firearms and explosives. In collaboration with the Belgian Ministry of Defense and the US Army, four large scale sculptures will be carved by means of firearms and explosives.
After being exhibited at iconic locations worldwide, the project will be used to raise funds for the restoration of damages cultural heritage in Iraq. FRIENDLY FIRE will make a powerful statement about the positive role that art can play in society.