The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist by Michael Rakowitz

E648446

The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist by Michael Rakowitz is a large-scale sculptural reconstruction of an ancient Assyrian lamassu, made from Middle Eastern food packaging and Arabic newspapers, commemorating artifacts destroyed or looted in Iraq.

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Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf artwork ⓘ
sculpture ⓘ
artForm large‑scale outdoor sculpture ⓘ
artist Michael Rakowitz ⓘ
artisticProcess assemblage ⓘ
reconstruction from archival sources ⓘ
basedOn Nergal Gate lamassu ⓘ
linked to: Lamassu sculptures

ancient Assyrian sculpture from Nineveh ⓘ
commissionedBy Greater London Authority ⓘ
copyrightHolder Michael Rakowitz ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United States ⓘ
creator Michael Rakowitz ⓘ
depicts Assyrian protective deity ⓘ
lamassu ⓘ
describedBySource Fourth Plinth Programme materials ⓘ
museum exhibition texts ⓘ
exhibitedAt Fourth Plinth, Trafalgar Square ⓘ
linked to: Fourth Plinth

Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom ⓘ
linked to: Trafalgar Square
genre public art ⓘ
hasEffect critiques consequences of war on heritage ⓘ
raises awareness of cultural loss in Iraq ⓘ
hasPart reconstructed lamassu body ⓘ
reconstructed lamassu head ⓘ
winged bull form ⓘ
hasTheme diaspora and displacement ⓘ
politics of display ⓘ
war and memory ⓘ
height approximately 4.5 metres ⓘ
inception 2018 ⓘ
inspiredBy destruction of artifacts by ISIS ⓘ
looting of the Iraq Museum in Baghdad ⓘ
languageOfWorkOrName English ⓘ
locatedInTheAdministrativeTerritorialEntity London ⓘ
linked to: London, England
location Trafalgar Square ⓘ
mainSubject Iraq War ⓘ
cultural memory ⓘ
destruction of cultural heritage ⓘ
looting of artifacts ⓘ
materialUsed Arabic newspapers ⓘ
Middle Eastern food packaging ⓘ
movement contemporary art ⓘ
notableWorkOf Michael Rakowitz ⓘ
partOf Fourth Plinth Programme ⓘ
linked to: Fourth Plinth
title The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist ⓘ
linked to: The Invisible Enemy
usesSymbolism Arabic script as reference to Iraqi culture ⓘ
consumer packaging as stand‑in for lost artifacts ⓘ

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Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Fourth Plinth → notableWorkDisplayed → The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist by Michael Rakowitz ⓘ