Peshmerga Fighting Vehicle
9’ 4” x 9’ 4” x 19’ 1”
Plywood, paint, pavers, tires, headlights, steel, gas cap, caulk
2017
2017 FSP/Jerome Fellow
Artist Statement
This sculpture is a replica of an actual modified truck, protected with homemade armor plating, based on a vehicle in service with the military forces of Kurdistan (Peshmerga) in 2014, operating in Iraq and Syria against ISIS.
Due to the politics of the region, the international community refused to equip the Peshmerga with heavy weaponry for years. Forced to improvise, the Kurds outfitted bulldozers, tractors and other vehicles with makeshift armor plating and bright unstandardized camouflage. The innovative results protect them from roadside bombs, mines and small arms fire.
This sculpture is a faithful reproduction of a real vehicle. The attempt was to replicate the choices of the original designers. Consider those choices, they are not based on aesthetics but based on survival necessity. The visual result is humorous which makes the meaning of its real context in war more tragic.
Zaq Landsberg
Born: Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1985
Resides: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Education
BFA, New York University, 2007