Saturday, January 09, 2010

Mysteries of life

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Nasb Al Hurriya
Photo taken in Baghdad December 2009


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Freedom Monument?
Painted in Montreal, November 2009


When I painted this piece, I was using images to reference the Nasb al Hurriya from the 1980's, of what I found in my books and online.

One month after completing this piece, I went to Baghdad. One of the first places I went to was Nasb al Hurriya, to see the beautiful monument with my own eyes after a long separation. Seeing the Hummer parked in the very spot that I had painted it one month prior to that very moment was a strange and intense feeling... the only difference was that it was an Iraqi humvee, rather than one belonging to the occupying force.

Strange coincidences happen rarely, but happen often in the land of two rivers... where the energy is so strong you can feel it vibrate within your soul for months after leaving. A vibration that is both beautiful and destructive, sometimes simultaneously.



1 comment:

Humanette said...

that is a very amazing post. What a strange feeling it must've been indeed for you to see what was in your head coming to life in front of you, it seems like a cross between a memory and a premonition.
I'm glad I found this post.