This body of work addresses the selectivity of human empathy that tends to shift based on geographical distance and cultural/ physical differences. The figures depicted are victims of war from photographs (whether iconic or concealed) between the years 2003-2005.  

I place the casualties within peaceful settings to humanize them and accentuate their passage between the physical world and beyond. Painting is my vehicle to rewrite the subjects' history, honor them and change the viewers' perception of them from  public statistics to individuals. 

The saturated space, a cross between abstraction and figuration, emphasizes the lack of physicality within the composition, and creates an ambiguity that erases the line between sleep, injury or death. The white, clear and veil-like fabric, alluding to purity and rebirth, intertwine and wrap the figures to create motion and give life to their static bodies. The fabric also brings in an element of rest and comfort making the figures relatable and human. 
I also paint on layers of resin and incorporate sculpture aesthetics to  bring the figures into our physical space. This literally lessens the distance between the subjects and viewers. This body of work addresses empathy, mortality and our shared conditions of humanness.