Serge Spitzer, Exposure, 1984

Like Dov Or Ner’s missile, this work too was created for “80 Years of Sculpture in Israel” at the Israel Museum. Serge Spitzer (1951-2012) installed a military tank on the roof of the Jerusalem Theatre facing Mishkan HaNassi (official residence of the President of Israel) about two weeks before the general elections. Weighing several tons, the dummy tank, which was donated by an IDF unit, was raised onto the roof of the theatre with a huge crane, and remained there for two years after no one was prepared to bring it down or take it back. Viewers were unable to easily identify the tank since only its edges were visible. In a newspaper interview Spitzer explained that “by hiding it you sharpen the attitude of the viewer who loses meaning and scale. There are only rumors about a tank. For me a tank is a home, it’s the safest vehicle of all, a direct continuation of personal territory”.[1] For Spitzer it was an opportunity to create a metaphor for something that can see but cannot be seen.

http://www.realitymodels.org/projects/29-Exposure

[1]  Hezy Leskly, Israeli Buffalo, Ha’Ir – Tel Aviv Weekly, 26.10.1984 (Hebrew).

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