Freedom Hill (2010) At Freedom Hill in Sterling Heights, Michigan, a decommissioned tank, helicopter, cannon, and fighter jet have been permanently installed as monuments to U.S. military strength.  Taking a cue from Meret Oppenheim’s Object - Le Déjeuner en fourrure (teacup with fur), I planned to visit salons and barbershops in the Iraqi and Palestinian neighborhoods of Metro Detroit to collect Arab hair, which I would glue to the armored vehicles at Freedom Hill.

Artist bio: Edward Salem (1981) was born in Detroit and lives in Paris and Ramallah. He received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Salem recently completed residencies at the Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center and al-Mahatta Gallery. Solo exhibitions include: Ecole des hautes etudes en sciences sociales, Paris, Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, Ramallah, Arab Cultural Forum, Ramallah, and Eel Space, Chicago. Salem has shown his work in group shows, screenings and performances at the Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, Brown University, Providence, TPTP Space, Paris, Jean Paul Slusser Gallery, Ann Arbor, Work, Detroit, Educational Bookshop, Jerusalem, and the Ethnographic & Art Museum at Birzeit University. This summer, Salem will curate one of the main exhibitions of the Kodra 11 Thessaloniki Biennial in Thessaloniki, Greece.