Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Luis Jimenez |
Title |
Abu Ghraib |
Date |
2006 |
Medium |
Lithograph |
Dimensions |
35 1/2" x 46 3/4" |
Description |
Luis Jiménez Abu Ghraib, 2006 Lithograph on paper, 38¼" x 49½" El Paso artist Luis Jiménez generated many works that protested human rights abuses, such as what occured at Abu Ghraib prison. Here, the artist illustrates the torture of three naked and bound detaineees at Abu Ghraib, located near Baghdad in Iraq. His depiction may be based on photographs, which were released later after an investigation was conducted on the abuses of the detainees. When Iraq invaded oil-rich Kuwait, President George H.W. Bush authorized the Gulf War in 1991. The Abu Ghraib Infant Formula Plant, which U.S. intelligence agencies claimed was a biological weapons production facility, was bombed during the Gulf War, but no chemical weapons were found. Later,in response to the September 11 terrorist attack in the U.S., President George W. Bush launched the War on Terror. Bush accused the "Axis of Evil," Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, of supporting international terrorism. He then invaded Iraq, hoping to destroy the Taliban regime of radical Islamic insurgents, and search for weapons of mass destruction. The C.I.A. had reported these weapons, but they were not found during the war on Iraq. The U.S. Army and C.I.A. meanwhile conducted secret interrogations at the Abu Ghraib prison, committing a series of human rights violations against detainees; many of whom were not terrorists. After public outcry, Bush apologized for the psychological abuse and physical torture of the detainees at Abu Ghraib and at other secret interrogation centers. Lest we forget, Jiménez reminds us with his artwork of this dark sinister chapter in U.S. political history. |
Object Name |
|
Search Terms |
Luis Jimenez Prison Abuse Activism Political Torture Baghdad Iraq Abu Ghraib |
Object Number |
2020.2.156.18 |
Collection |
Juan Antonio Sandoval Jr. Collection |