A Big Donor 2002, Blockhouse 2002, China Developing Missiles 2000, Hearing Chamber 2002, Pentagon Primate 2002, Power Wedge 2002, Red Soldier Monument 2002, Red Tower 2002, Red Wall 2002, Signs Upon Walls (Happy Days) 2002, Signs Upon Walls (Star Wars 2) 2002, Walls Upon Walls (Pink) 2002, Walls Upon Walls (Red) 2002

Abstract

There is a long tradition of art that seeks to address distinctly political concerns, particularly with respect to the military and the relationship between civilian and military cultures. Due to the closed nature of most totalitarian regimes, there is little direct interaction with, or understanding of, military institutions This research has focused on the potential of a collaborative framework with a military regime - the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

Working with a colonel from the PLA, Ian Howard's A Bridge too Far series investigates the ideological tension of a working process between two artists with similar interests yet hugely divergent backgrounds. The tradition of frottage, with rubbings of military vehicles, trains, boats, and tanks, is used to explore social, historical, and political territory. The intersection of two poles of political art - that from the western tradition which takes on a critical tenor, and the parallel tradition of social realism - enables a strategy by which to critically investigate the notion of political regimes.

The significance of the series A Bridge too Far is attested to by its exhibition in the show A Bridge too Far at Watters Gallery, Sydney, NSW. The show was favourably reviewed by John McDonald, Sydney's most prominent art critic.