ARTIST STATEMENT: AN ILLUSION OF VICTORY There have been many claims of victory that were a delusion. What appeared to be superficially a victory then morphed into a “new reality” – a new theatre of conscientious struggle between humanity and heightened level of total war. Two recent examples are the Battle of Okinawa (1945) and the Battle of Iraq (2003). The Battle of Okinawa was fought by the US 10th Division on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa. It was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. It lasted from late March through to June of 1945 – some 82 days. The objective of the battle was to seize a Japanese island, which was located some 340 miles from Japan thereby completing a long campaign of island hopping (e.g. Iwo Jima) that would culminate in the planned invasion of the mainland islands of Japan. The large losses in Okinawa convinced the US military to drop atomic bombs on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki, thereby ending the second-world war. The Okinawa illusion of victory unleashed a far greater dilemma for humanity. United States President, George W. Bush, on 1st May 2003 on the USS Abraham Lincoln declared - “Mission Accomplished” - in order to convey the end to major combat operations in Iraq. Whilst the reason for the invasion (weapons of mass destruction) was itself an illusion, Bush’s statement signaled the start of “new” total war - a war of total disillusionment; that is, a war hallmarked by the philosophy of “die-to-survive”. The Allied forces - since the second invasion - have witnessed 4,500 casualties whereas the Iraqi casualties have been estimated to be of the order of 86,000-96,000. The appropriated image is that of the five soldiers and a medical doctor, who thrust a flag into the ground on Mt. SuriBachi on Iwo Jima. The rendered image has been silk screened in white on transparent glass organza - the latter material being fragile and may unravel and unfurl in time (as it is seamless), thereby yielding it a temporal existence. Only one of the original six men have been used in the rendered image in an ironic attempt to indicate that in 2003 we are considered to be in the era of PAX Americana.
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Hi Michael ok we have the 2007 works up and they look good. Im working on a traveling solander which im sure you will want to get your teeth into next year 2009. One 56 x 76cm work only im sure you'll have some fun with it. More details in the post and on line later in the year. By the way great work once again in 2007. We are still waiting on a few donations to go through. So keep posted for more info on all EPPM.
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