The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist

Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz’s project The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist is an installation of objects made from recycled Arabic newspapers and Middle Eastern food packaging, representing ancient archaeological artefacts. It presents a narrative about the stolen objects from the National Museum of Iraq and Library in the aftermath of the US invasion in April 2003.

Through this ongoing project, Rakowitz investigates the fate of the looted artefacts and the events during the political conflict that resulted in the cultural erasure of Iraqi heritage and identity. He recreated these objects with the assistance of a specialised team utilising the ‘Lost Treasures of Iraq’ database at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago alongside Interpol’s website.