New Trafalgar Sq Fourth Plinth artists revealed

Mr Rakowitz’s version of the Lamassu will be made of empty Iraqi date syrup cans, representative of a once-renowned industry decimated by the Iraq wars.

The work is part of an ongoing project called The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist begun by Mr Rakowitz in 2006 that attempts to recreate over 7,000 archeological artefacts looted from the Iraq Museum during the war or destroyed in its aftermath.

Based in Chicago, his interest in the west's relationship with Iraq has consistently defined his work.

During a previous projects on Iraqi-Jewish restaurants, in which he showcased his grandparents recipes, Mr Rakowitz reminisced about an era when  “Muslims went outside to protect their Jewish neighbours”.

The artwork currently occupying the fourth plinth, David Shrigley's Really Good, will be displayed until March 2018 when it will be replaced by Lamussu. The other artwork is The End by Heather Phillipson, a sculpture portraying a whirl of cream topped with a cherry, parasites and a drone.