German soldier with a grenade

Cousins' 'German soldier' series of sculptures comments on the cliched nature of images of war through the use of toy soldiers. He offers a critique of both past and present conflicts in which Australia has been involved. His toy German soldiers from the Second World War belie the horror of this conflict and reflect upon idealised notions of war, enemies and the sacrifice of soldiers during the Second World War. Notions of play and childish imagination once assocaited with toy soldiers are cast in a new, detached, yet slightly menacing form through these works. Their scale provides us with a heightended sense of awareness of the theme of war. The works draw on an aesthetic derived from Pop Art, advertising, craft, mass media and the ephemera of daily life.
'German soldier with a grenade' is one of three sculptures by Cousins acquired in 2013. It depicts a a standing Second World War German soldier, wearing a helmet, with a rifle across his back, holding a grenade in one hand, which he is about to throw.