Art strikes back: Saddam Hussein's swords recreated

An American artist has created his own version of Saddam Hussein's Hands Of Victory arch in Baghdad.

But Michael Rakowitz's version incorporates Darth Vader-style helmets like the ones designed by Saddam's son, Uday, for Iraqi paramilitary troops.

The work was prompted by Rakowitz's unsettling discovery that he shared a childhood love of Star Wars with Saddam's family. It now forms the centrepiece of a new show at Tate Modern in which Rakowitz explores how Saddam and his sons used popular culture to foster their own mythology.

Rakowitz, 36, whose maternal grandfather fled Iraq after spying for the British during the Second World War, said: "There's no sympathy or empathy for Saddam's regime but I have very real problems with the way the war happened. And every villain has a back story."

The sculpture, called Michael Rakowitz: The worst condition is to pass under a sword which is not one's own — a title taken from Saddam's invitation to the opening of the Hands of Victory, also known as Swords of Qadisiyah — is displayed until 3 May. Admission is free.