Exhibitions / Bulletproof
Erik Schnack - Bulletproof
Erik-Schnack - Bulletproof
Erik Schnack - Bulletproof
Erik Schnack - Bulletproof

Bulletproof

(2018)
Entirely hand-drawn with a black Japanese ink gel pen, Bulletproof vividly captures the brutal indoctrination methods of the apartheid state, serving as a stark reminder of the horrors of totalitarianism, warfare, and racism (Taylor).

Based on Erik Schnack’s own experience as a conscript in the South African Army during the late 1980s, the comic transports readers back to the realities of apartheid-era warfare with striking detail and style (New Era, 8 May 2009). It explores the legacy of military conscription and its lasting psychological impact on young men forced into armed service. “It is cathartic for people from both sides of the non-bulletproof fence,” noted John Sampson, owner of Gallery Fusion (The Namibian, 26 November 2008).

Comic book specialist Christophe Cassiau-Haurie, director of the comic book collection at French publisher L’Harmattan, remarked that Bulletproof tackles a chapter of history still difficult for many to confront (Africultures).