A statue modelled on a war veteran who served in Basra during the 2003 Iraq invasion has been installed in Margate as part of a Turner Contemporary commission.
The artwork by sculptor Michael Rakowitz is at Marine Terrace, positioned between the Surf Boat Memorial and the Nayland Rock promenade shelter.
The statue is part of Waterfronts, a series of art commissions for England’s Creative Coast. It will be officially ‘unveiled’ on May 1.
Taking its name from a line of TS Eliot’s The Wasteland, part of which was written in the Nayland shelter, the temporary sculpture consists of a life-sized male figure stood upon a plinth.
The war veteran it is based on served with the Royal Artillery in Basra, Iraq during the 2003 invasion.
Taking inspiration from the World War One East Kent Regiment 5th Battalion “The Buffs” and 80 bronze sculptures of Iraqi soldiers who were killed in the Iran-Iraq Wa,r the sculpture is intended to link with other figures along the coast, like Frederick T. Callcott’s Surfboat Memorial and Antony Gormley’s Another Time.
Seven site-specific art commissions by leading contemporary artists are being created as part of England’s Creative Coast.
Artists Andreas Angelidakis, Mariana Castillo Deball, Holly Hendry, Jasleen Kaur, Katarina Palmer, Pilar Quinteros and Michael Rakowitz are each creating a new work on the Essex, Kent and East Sussex Coastline. The Margate statue is the first piece to be installed.
The project is led by Turner Contemporary and Visit Kent and principally funded by Arts Council England and Visit England / Visit Britain through the Discover England Fund.
It includes the Waterfronts artworks, curated by Tamsin Dillon; the world’s first art GeoTour using GPS – enabled geocaching technology to share the hidden stories and creative spirit of England’s South East coast; and self – build itineraries that allow visitors to create their own journeys, from cultural experiences to food, drink and accommodation offers.
Turner Contemporary will work with a group made up of 30 members of the community in connection to Michael Rakowitz’s Waterfronts commission From Basara to Margate. The group will be formed from an open call but with a specific focus on engaging local veterans.
Waterfront launch dates:
Turner Contemporary in Margate presents Michael Rakowitz: ‘April is the cruellest month’ – 1 May
Cement Fields in Gravesend presents Jasleen Kaur: ‘The first thing I did was to kiss the ground’ – 22 May
Metal in Southend-on-Sea presents Katrina Palmer: ‘Hello’ and ‘Retreat’ – 22 May
The De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea presents Holly Hendry: ‘Invertebrate’ – 29 May
Hastings Contemporary presents Andreas Angelidakis: ‘Seawall’ – 29 May
Creative Folkestone presents Pilar Quinteros: ‘Janus’ Fortress Folkestone’ – 29 May
Towner Eastbourne presents Mariana Castillo Deball: ‘Walking through the town I followed a pattern on the pavement that became the magnified silhouette of a woman’s profile’ – 29 May
