Survivors Art Not Heroes

One of Etrog’s largest works, Survivors are Not Heroes is an icon of the city of Toronto, both due to its participation in the centennial exhibition Sculpture ‘67 where it was placed in front of Toronto’s City Hall, and due to its permanent location at the St. George Campus of the University of Toronto, in front of Hart House.

​

The sculpture goes against the tradition of public war memorials due to the antiwar declaration that is found in the work’s title. The sculpture’s abstract language is consisted of opposing forms and conflicting energies which are connected through Etrog’s “links”: its bottom is dominated by a heavy circular motif while its top rises high with an ascending vertical line.