Ground War

Performance by Neil Tetkowski, 1991, Buffalo, New York

Bronze, 1991, Diameter 40", photo by Bruce Mayer

"...On February 23, 1991, Tetkowski created a performance that culminated in a bronze disk entitled Ground War. The artist incorporated symbols of the three cultures involved in the Gulf War. A crucifix, the star of David, and the Arabic words for ground war were incised into the work's surface, as well as the placement of rounds of live ammunition. In creating a work before an audience, Tetkowski ultimately hoped to push the dynamics of throwing a clay object. He aimed to deepen the viewer's level of awareness to show how we relate to war. Tetkowski challenged the expectations of his audience and by so doing extended the parameters of their thinking. For Tetkowski, the performance was staged "as a means to express my emotional involvement regarding the ever ongoing crisis, all the crisis of humanity... man shooting man... the injustice that human beings do to each other is not over. Yesterday it was Kuwait, today it is Sri Lanka, Liberia, the Sudan, Kashmir and 40 other wars that are not front page news."

Ceramics: Art and Perception No. 12

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