Sebastian Errazuriz: American Kills
‘American Kills’ by Chilean-born NY-based artist Sebastian Errazuriz is a public installation showcasing the suicide rates of US soldiers. After searching on official war sites on the internet, he accidentally found out that two times more American soldiers had died in 2009 by committing suicide than those killed during that same year in the war in Iraq; an alarming comparison that Errazuriz had personally never read or heard about before.
According to the artist, a first Google search showed only reports of media alarm about suicide rates, but the information was always comfortably presented divided into months and generally separated by statistics for the army, navy or air-force.
‘…When I first found the overall statistics summed the 304 suicides by US soldiers during 2009, I was shocked. I tried to find a number to compare that statistic. To my surprise the suicide statistic doubled the total of 149 US soldiers that had died in the Iraq War during 2009 and equaled the number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.’ – SE
Errazuriz’s first instinct was to post the statistic on Facebook. Dumbfounded by the lack of response and interest, he bought cans of black paint and decided to ‘post’ the news in the real world on his own wall outside his studio in Brooklyn. Equipped with a ladder, he marked a black strip for every dead soldier, until both the suicide rates and war rates occupied the entire wall and were registered as a single image.
‘…the counting of dead soldiers outside my studio was long and surprisingly eerie; it was hard to forget that every brush stroke was a soldier who had died the previous year. A lot of people stopped to read the mural and were immediately impressed by the reality portrayed. Most of them seemed quite shocked and approached me to ask if what I was painting was real. I tried to explain that I simply wished to create a physical image that could capture people’s imagination, creating awareness of the current numbers in death, war and the infinite discrepancy between the resources and energies destined to fight and protect soldiers at war versus the energies invested in protecting their mental health and stability.’- SE
since 5 years ago i told this. american soldiers go to middle east to fight a war with a wrong dontrine idea. this is one of most big mistakes of recent history of occidental theology. american soldiers go because they believe to fight to keep freedom and american constitutional ideas, but they dont know that this go to defend and realize american christian prophecies ideas, and this ideas exist to defend israel country, cause its necessary for american prophecies ideas that israel like nation and jewish people on israel land exist to realize american christian prophecies. is amazing how american country sacrifice a lot soldiers who finally fight for a israel nation.
ITS SAD HOW THEY ARE NOT THOUGHT OF AND LOVED, FROM THE USA AND THE UK. I HATE TO THINK HOW MANY MORE WILL DIE AND LEAVE THEIR FAMILIES. GOD BLESS THEM ALL.
ITS SAD HOW THEY ARE NOT THOUGHT OF AND LOVED, FROM THE USA AND THE UK. I HATE TO THINK HOW MANY MORE WILL DIE AND LEAVE THEIR FAMILIES. GOD BLESS THEM ALL.
The story nobody wants to cover!
The story nobody wants to cover!
[...] of the helmet further, the information displayed should be stark and clear, sort of like this project about suicide in the armed forces by Sebastian [...]