This artist captures what's gone after the destruction wrought by ISIS
Piers Secunda is an artist and documentarian concerned with preserving the past.
The London-based artist's latest work has focused on making so-called "molds of damage." These are three-dimensional artwork created from casts of bullet holes fired by Islamic State militants at cultural sites destroyed by the extremist group.
"ISIS has carried the biggest swathe of cultural destruction the Middle East has ever seen. The extent of the looting and the desecration of these sites is greater than anyone could really ever have imagined," Secunda told WFYI. Archeologists, too, have sought to resecure Middle East history at ancient sites like the city of Palmyra in Syria, which has been destroyed by ISIS.
Secunda describes his molds as "factually accurate" documents that examine how damaged artifacts "break the link" between understanding who we are and what we do as societies.
"If you break that link, you disconnect yourself from the past. It's literally like taking an eraser and rubbing out history," he said.
Born in London, Secunda studied painting at the Chelsea College of Art. But he doesn't paint on canvas. Instead, he layers paint to create art that looks like sculpture.
During his 2009 residency in China, Secunda watched members of the Chinese Army practice their shooting by firing into sheets of cured paint. The resulting bullet holes looked like flowers, which inspired Secunda to pursue a new practice of creating molds, one that brings together his craft and his personal belief that an artist should record the world around him.
In 2015, Secunda then travelled to Iraq to visit cultural sites destroyed by ISIS. Secunda's work was on display last year at the Long-Sharp Gallery in Indianapolis.
This report originally appeared on WFYI's "Curious Mix."
Support Canvas
Sustain our coverage of culture, arts and literature.
Sean “Diddy" Combs was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, but found guilty of prostitution offenses. The mixed verdict…
Colum McCann's Narrative 4 organization is bringing the power of story to students in a time of division. The project…
Growing up in South Africa, internationally celebrated opera singer Pretty Yende hadn’t even heard of opera until she was almost…
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria found that 13 authors who sued Meta “made the wrong arguments.” But the judge also…
The untitled film will be the first since Amazon MGM Studios took creative reins of the storied film franchise after…
Arthur Sze, one of the most acclaimed poets of our time, is celebrated for exploring the natural world, the human…
Researchers believe it was a gunboat built in 1775 to defend Philadelphia. They don't know all the places the boat…
BTS is expected to reunite later this year. The K-pop group routinely breaks records and are credited for bringing the…
Unless you’re a longtime jazz aficionado, you might only know the names and music of a handful of stars and…
Comedian and illustrator Mo Welch has built a career blending sharp humor with emotional honesty. Her recent special, "Dad Jokes,"…
A new biography, "Marsha: The Joy and Defiance of Marsha P. Johnson," tells the story of the Black transgender pioneer’s…
A week ago, 11 of the 12 members of the board overseeing the prestigious Fulbright Program, which promotes international educational…
Cruise, choreographer Debbie Allen and “Do The Right Thing” production designer Wynn Thomas have all been selected to receive honorary…
A doctor charged with giving Matthew Perry ketamine in the month leading up to the “Friends” star's overdose death has…
How lost are we without our devices? Or putting it more simply, as novelist Colum McCann might: just how isolated…