RALPH ZIMAN | THE CASSPIR PROJECT

Developed in South Africa in the 1970s, the Casspir was originally conceived as a military vehicle. A weapon of terror during the apartheid-era, the armored Casspir was extensively used against civilian populations. Widely despised and feared, it soon became synonymous with violence, police intimidation and institutional oppression. “I wanted to take what was the ultimate symbol of apartheid,” artist Ralph Ziman says, “and turn it into something that is African and beautiful.”  

As modern America’s law enforcement agencies become increasingly militarized, Ziman’s repurposed work could not be more timely. Purchased by oppressive governments everywhere and by the U.S. as it commenced wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Casspirs have since been handed down to local police forces. The same imposing bohemoths deployed against South African blacks in the 80s are now utilized to suppress Black Lives Matters protests in Ferguson, New York, and Baltimore. Symptomatic of America’s dark present of violence and police brutality, the Casspir’s disquieting presence is an echo of South Africa’s brutal past. In addition to the focus on the Casspir, the exhibition will also highlight the proliferation of the arms trade. In order to purchase the Casspir, Ziman, for an incredulous amount of 250 dollars, officially became a licensed international arms dealer. He is now permitted to buy and sell firearms, artillery projectors and ammunition around the world.

For this iteration of The Casspir Project, Ziman has designed the massive gallery space with a “macro and micro” experience in mind. Each room within the gallery space brings context to the next, informing the project as whole. The exhibition starts with an installation of brightly colored  AK-47s leading into a room with large photographs taken in Soweto. For the photos, Ziman recreated scenes from newspapers during the apartheid, incorporating many of the elements found within the exhibition such as the beaded guns and SPOEK 1.  A screening room shows a 20 minute documentary by Ziman which tells the history of the Casspir, from its design and conception to people’s personal experiences with it in the ‘70s and ‘80s. It chronicles Ziman’s reclaiming of the Casspir, detailing how he transformed and Africanized it. The exhibition culminates with the dramatic presentation of SPOEK 1, lit only by a spotlight in a dark room.

Opening a dialogue between those who remember and those too young to know, The Casspir Project is a profound attempt to reconcile history. Ziman has reclaimed the savagely violent brute—embellished and bedazzled, the Casspir has been made less threatening, its power and authority subverted.

10% of sales of artworks (excluding the Casspir) will be donated between Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence, whose mission is to create a safer America by ending America’s gun violence epidemic, and The Ron Finley Project which aims to transform Inter-cities around the World, from food deserts to food forests through urban gardening.