Battlefield Art - Transforming Death into Life

Three months after the first revolutionary spark was lit in Libya’s east, one of Benghazi’s greatest artists started sculpturing pieces of a whole new kind. Ali Al-Wakwak, an artisan since 45 years, began collecting rusty weapons and military leftovers from the battlefield. In his hands, the instruments of death are turned into pieces representing new Libya’s life. A historical house in Liberation Square after the revolution has become an art exhibition. The main part of the collection is made up of Ali’s sculptures. Rusty and heavy, most of them large enough to climb upon, they fill most of the garden outside. The pieces are put together of rough chunks of iron, tossed weapons and parts of military vehicles; airplanes, army jeeps and tanks. The material comes from a war that has killed and injured several tens of thousands of Libyans. Yet the sculptures have a strong sense of life to them. Almost all of Ali’s pieces are living creatures: animals, large insects, revolutionary fighters, ordinary Libyan men, women and children. (Source)