A copy of this print was acquired for the Australian War Memorial collection with the
following description:
Depicts a number of cactus plants with bombs above them. The artist notes of this work; 'Before 1948 there were 475 Arab villages within the borders of what was to become the state of Israel-385 villages have been destroyed by the Israeli authorities. No records were kept, however the cactus plants (Sabr) often reappeared in odd places as a reminder of the former Arab villages...in this work the cactus becomes a symbol of the resilience of Arab Iraq against the invasion of the international coalition...the message to establish peace and democracy came in missiles'. Fatima Killeen was born in Morocco and arrived in Australia in 1994. Many of her works explore the changing relationship between Arab nations, including Iraq, and the Western world since the beginning of the 'war against terrorism'. Her works combine repeated patterns of familiar objects that act as visual signs for larger economic, social or cultural concerns associated with this conflict.
