JOURNAL ARTICLE

Ghost Stories.

  • Published In: Frieze, 2026, n. 258. P. 26 1 of 3

  • Database: Art Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Trela, Bailey 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on Michael Rakowitz's ongoing art series *The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist* (2007–ongoing), in which the Iraqi American artist reimagines and rematerializes approximately 7,000 artefacts destroyed or looted from the National Museum of Iraq and Assyrian sites like Nineveh and Nimrud. Using materials such as Middle Eastern food packaging and Arabic newspapers, Rakowitz creates "reappearances" or "ghosts" of the originals rather than reconstructions, emphasizing fragility, absence, and the impossibility of fully restoring lost cultural heritage. His works incorporate physical cracks and gaps that reference both historical damage and the dispersal of artefacts into Western collections, highlighting themes of rupture, labour, and the ongoing, unfinished nature of his project. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Frieze. 2026/04, Issue 258, p26
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Religion and Philosophy
  • Publication Date:2026
  • ISSN:0962-0672
  • Accession Number:193091029
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