Spin to Win, oil on canvas, 48" x 48", 2015.
I painted this work with the idea of creating a historic document through the visual form. The work is intended to reflect on the more than a decade of "War on Terror" which seems to bring more terrors and chaos to the world. As an artist, I frequently feel the limited ability to deal with human tragedy but only wish to offer reflection and discussion through my work. The wheel consists of faces of former presdent George W. Bush and his cabinet members. The skull is a reference of the death and diaspora of millions of innocent people. The numbers in the painting indicate important dates related to the "War on Terror" such as September 11, 2001 and March 20, 2003, the date that Iraq War begins. 
Spin to Win II–What’s Going On, oil on canvas, 48" x 48", 2017.
The painting depicts political influencers of the region where Syrian war took place and the children affected by the war. It borrows the design of a wheel of fortune to convey the idea that any careless behaviors of political leaders can result in tremendous loss of innocent lives. |
The State of Painting, oil on canvas,
24" x 36", 2016. The concept of the painting reflects my thoughts and questions about the art of painting today. I painted an art critic sitting in the middle of an art gallery space contemplating the current state of painting. In the background, I pose my doubts about the future of painting as seen in two paintings recalled Damien Hurst's Spot Paintings and Takashi Murakami's flower paintings. 
Officer and Mother, oil on canvas, 36" x 36", 2016.
I painted this work during the refugee crisis in 2015 when thousands of Syrian refugees fled to Europe to escape from wars. European countries basically turned a blind eye to the refugees. To reflect this situation, I decided to transform a classical European Old Master's painting "Officer and a Laughing Girl" by Johannes Vermeer. In this painting, I replaced the "laughing girl" in the original work to a grieving mother holding her two children seeking for help. The image of the officer remains the same as in Vermeer's work. In Vermeer's painting, a Dutch map in the background depicting the coming and going of commercial boats. Here, I painted an empty middle-eastern map reflecting the current situation of this war-torn region. |
Bao Bao, oil on canvas. 24" x 30", 2014.
The Chinese president Xi Jingping wears a yellow silk shirt with traditional Chinese imperial symbols. He is offering a young panda as a diplomatic gift for building international relationships. Bao Bao is the name of the giant panda in the National Zoo in Washington D.C given to the U.S. from China.
The Chinese president Xi Jingping wears a yellow silk shirt with traditional Chinese imperial symbols. He is offering a young panda as a diplomatic gift for building international relationships. Bao Bao is the name of the giant panda in the National Zoo in Washington D.C given to the U.S. from China.