Michel de Broin
Blowback

Blowback implies the state of emergency that has been steadily escalating since the end of the Second World War. The life-sized sculpture is composed of a pair of conjoined replicas of the M2A1 Howitzer which fires a 105 mm artillery shell, one of the most ubiquitous and effective pieces of military hardware ever produced. This deadly marriage or “amorous sabotage” as described by the artist, demonstrates the precarious balance of power in the modern world as well as the absurd yet disturbingly real threat of mutually assured destruction as nations continue to march headlong from one crisis to another.