The sculpture has two connotations. One points to Damien Hirst’s sculpture of the shark. I remember when he first presented it there was discussion about the question of whether it is okay to kill a living animal just to exhibit it as a piece of art. Of course, then I added to my sculpture the issue of Saddam Hussein. I probably came up with the idea because I was in Baghdad a year ago as a journalist. Some feelings grew out of my experience there. So I tried to realize within the sculpture the underlying sentiments against Iraq in those days and the underlying reality of how the semi-help/not help of the US occupation/not occupation was being accepted. I personally don’t enjoy playing with the art of someone else. But I came to understand that most of all, this piece of Hirst’s was an icon in itself. I don’t want to say it’s a masterpiece because I think it’s kind of stupid and I personally don’t like Damien Hirst’s work; but it became a masterpiece, not an ingenious piece, but a masterpiece in reference to all those Britpop things. I just used it as a reference.

And I’m a little ashamed of the Shark. I don’t like that thing. Because it’s a rip-off. I did it for a week-long or month-long exhibition just on a whim, and then it travelled half the world.