The Dustbin of History

Acrylic on canvas

30" x 48", 2003

In this painting I have tried to examine the phenomenon of how history gets reorganized through the replacement of one set of symbols with another. Images of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the World Trade Towers collapsing, the destruction of the great Buddha statues of Afghanistan, and the demolition of the statues of Saddam Hussein and Lenin, imprint on the public consciousness daily. These images shatter our concept of the world as a stable, safe place. On a personal level, I continuously wonder if my own artwork will have any lasting value, or if it too will end up in the dumpster. But life is for living, so I try to keep my eyes open everyday for that elusive, perfect metaphor.