Obelisks are Egyptian monuments ornamented with small inscriptions - symbols of the Sun God, Ra. The ancient Egyptians believed that Ra created himself from the primordial chaos, and was a principal God, the Creator of the Universe, and the King of the Gods. The obelisks were also symbols of Egyptian military triumphs. Their engraved inscriptions were stories about battles and words of praise and glory for the Pharaohs. Interestingly, archaeologists found no obelisks dated after the time the Hebrew slaves left Egypt. This means that the obelisks in Egypt were probably built by Hebrew slaves.

Sher’s Obelisks are 10 ft. tall, made of layers of cork on a wood skeleton. There are ten obelisks, each alluding to one of the ten plagues by using a visual narration of countless tiny images and clues, each depicting a specific plague. The minute images are etched, seared and engraved on the cork. The artist carefully navigates the symbolic space between meaning and history. In an act of defiance, Sher reverses the original significance of the Obelisks, Egypt’s emblematic monuments of victory and glory, by using these same structures to depict the triumph of Divine Truth over man-made deific monuments.