Originally developed for the South African Police in the 1970s, the Casspir is a landmine-protected armored vehicle that has come to symbolize oppression, hatred, violence, and war.
In Apartheid-era South Africa, the Casspir was adopted by the government who used it to further their goals of institutionalized racial segregation with intimidation and police brutality. The vehicle has since become a ubiquitous symbol of Apartheid.
Now, one Casspir vehicle has taken on new life as an art installation, its hull covered in intricate beading in traditional African patterns.
Artist Ralph Zimanwas born in 1963 in Johannesburg and later left South Africa at the age of 19 in 1981 to dodge conscription into the military. He has been on a mission to highlight the close ties between militarization of police and apartheid regimes ever since. Today, he is a multidisciplinary artist living in Los Angeles and working in a vast array of media including murals, installations, sculpture, photography, textiles, and film.
Art lovers here in Atlanta may have seen the Casspir Project at Atlanta Contemporary and Atlanta Art Fair in recent weeks. The installation centers around an ornately decorated Casspir vehicle called ‘SPOEK 1.’ Coming in at eleven tons and measuring 22 feet by 9 feet tall, the hulking weapon on wheels has been reimagined into an art object through the application of millions of glass beads across its facade.
Ziman told me that the process to embellish the vehicle was completed by artists in Zimbabwe and the Mpumalanga province in South Africa over the course of three and a half years. Every single strand of glass beads is hand-threaded. The work generated income for the artists and transformed what was an agent of war into a thing of beauty that has since traveled the world.
“I think it does resonate,” said Ziman about the work’s relevance for Americans. “That’s the story we want to tell; we want to talk about militarization of the police force, and how policing of urban unrest in Europe, America, and the Western World has really followed the model of Apartheid. This was the model they came to, and I think a lot of people didn’t recognize that this was designed by a white government to oppress Black people.”
The Casspir Project also includes brightly-colored AK-47s, photography, and a screening of a documentary film about the project.
For Denise Jackson, Co-Curator of The Casspir Project’s Atlanta Tour, she was captivated with the work from her first impression at the 2019 Pulse Art Fair in Miami. “What I love about this exhibit is how it takes oppressive images and transforms them with colorful patterns and intricate beadwork,” said Jackson, who has helped to coordinate the Casspir Project’s migration through art spaces here in Atlanta, including the recent Atlanta Art Fair.
“I shared images of The Casspir with so many people ahead of the exhibit, but there was nothing quite like witnessing their reactions when they saw it in person. It’s truly incredible to see it fully covered in millions of glass beads. As Ralph said, he wanted to ‘African-ize’ the Casspir, and the result is stunning.”
The intent of The Casspir Project is to spark conversation around the dangers of militarized police forces. Now, on its debut to the South, we have an opportunity to consider the lessons we can glean from this slice of dark history that still apply to contemporary issues of social justice.
“It’s been intriguing to see how people draw parallels between the history of Civil Rights in Atlanta and the South and the history of Apartheid,” said Jackson. “There are crucial lessons from the apartheid era that we should remember, and I’ve seen art play a significant role in fostering understanding around these challenging issues.”
The Casspir Project will make its next local appearance at the Emma Darnell Aviation Museum and Conference Center from Fri., Oct. 18 through Nov. 15, 2024.
