The artsy types have glommed onto Abu Ghraib as post-modern art.

Of all the images to have come out of Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib Prison over these past few weeks, the one that has apparently captured the imagination of the masses is the picture of the shrouded figure standing on a box, wired to God-knows-what.

The picture has shown up across the globe, from a gallery in San Francisco (where the curator was punched solidly in the face by someone who objected, as evidenced by her black eye), to the New York subway Warholesque poster pictured here.

Why this image above all the rest? It is far from the most violent, but easily the most graphic. You need less than a second's glance to know exactly what it is. The triangle of the hood silhouettes sharply against the hot pink or chartreuse background of a fake iPod ad. Andy Warhol himself could not have done better. It holds its own on murals meant to be read from far away. It plays well against the Statue of Liberty. It suggests Christ on the cross. And, best yet, the hooded figure in the photograph is on a pedestal. It is already an icon.

As a symbolic shape, the hood is almost as strong as a cross. The difference is that the hood has generally been the sign of the persecutor, not of the victim. It is the uniform of the executioner, the sheet of the Klansman, the mask of Death. Until now.

Posted by: mhking at 05:21 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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