THE TANK MAN
2025 Alberto Favaro
Timber and ceramic sculpture
Short Description
This installation challenges the notion of protection in its most direct and raw form: armed defense. In a world increasingly marked by brutal conflict, where civilians face overwhelming military technology, Favaro proposes a radical rethinking of the tank—one of the most emblematic instruments of war.
Referencing the iconic image of the “Tank Man” in Tiananmen Square (1989), Favaro's tank features a passageway deliberately shaped to allow people to pass through, making a powerful statement about keeping human beings, especially civilians, out of the violence of warfare.
Presented as an educational toy-like object crafted in wood, the piece suggests that in a world where war is increasingly seen as a game—detached through the use of sophisticated machinery—the human being remains the most fragile and real component. A small human figure made of ceramic, symbolizing human fragility, stands behind the line of tanks—precarious and vulnerable amid the imposing structure.
The work also critiques the global trend of rearmament, highlighting the tragic irony of diverting crucial resources from education and social needs toward military spending.
Favaro’s installation serves both as a memorial and a call to question the real meaning of protection in times of conflict—inviting viewers to reflect on the human cost behind the rhetoric of security and the fragility of life caught within systems of power.
Work displayed at Alberto Favaro's solo exhibition -PROTECT ME- at Muza (National Museum of Art), Valletta 2025.