Pierrot (Sarbi)

The story of Sarbi the Explosive Detection Dog has become a talisman of the war in Afghanistan. It speaks of survival, mystery and the deep bonds between animals and their handlers: bonds that fascinated artists Charles Green and Lyndell Brown on their visit to Afghanistan as official artists commissioned by the Australian War Memorial. Jon Cattapan was also an official artist in East Timor. They all found their experience of modern conflict a turning point in their careers, stimulating a collaboration in which they have jointly created works reflecting on the aftermath of conflict.
Sarbi, selected as a Special Forces Explosive Detection dog for her curiosity and focus, was sent to Afghanistan to sniff out explosives. She went missing when a rocket exploded near her during a Taliban ambush – the same incident for which Mark Donaldson was later awarded the Victoria Cross.
Sarbi was listed as missing in action, but 14 months later, she reappeared, to a wave of media interest and the great joy of her handlers. What had happened to her in the intervening period remains a mystery: an unknown person or group seems to have looked after her. In their title, and in the demeanour of her handler, the artists refer to Pierrot, the sad-faced clown of traditional pantomime. Sarbi, like Pierrot, is a silent witness to the world. Both dog and handler are enmeshed in a network of dots, just as a web of communication connects those on the modern battlefield with each other and with the wider world. Meanwhile, in the background, the eerie green suggests Cattapan’s evocation of the sinister night-vision dreamworld.