Mother Looking for her Child

Inspired by the war in Iraq.

The painting depicts a mother searching through the ruins for her child, even though it was clear that nothing remained. Everything around her had been destroyed by bombing.

Confused and silent, she walked in circles around the ruins. She said nothing, yet her silence felt like a scream. The scene was being broadcast live as a reporter covered the events.

The use of *gold*, instead of the endless grey of the actual ruins, represents the economic dimension of war and the industries that profit from it. Where there is destruction and devastation, profit can exist alongside it.

The red line of blood represents the path of every victim of war. Regardless of side, nationality or identity, the pain of a mother losing her child is universal, unbearable and fundamentally opposed to life.