Series: Journey to The Good Life

Acrylic on canvas, pages from old story books, fabric paint

2016

“Journey to The Good Life” is about telling a story: Intricate patterns on the panels of a once charismatic minbar (pulpit); the colors of a hijab (scarf) a girl once received as a gift from her father; designs of a blanket sewn by grandmother that brought endless comfort—the borders of these paintings tell tales of a past life that has now been destroyed. This beautiful rich cultural heritage that refugees, migrants bring with them might one day be passed down through pages of a cherished book. Much like pages from a children’s storybook, these paintings capture a moment in the lives of human beings on their journey in search of a good life.

“We’re sorry.”

16″x20″

“We made it.”

12″x36″

“Look for The Helpers.”

20″x20″

Untitled

20″x20″

“Rest my precious son, for you have finally found your way to The Good Life.”

16″x40″

Untitled

16″x40″

Journey to The Good Life

Acrylic, pages from old story books, chiffon silk fabric, mixed media

36″x48′

Having lost both my parents to cancer, I thought about what it meant to lose loved ones. Cancer uses bodies as battlegrounds; when the battle reaches its end, all one can hope for is eternal peace for valiant soldiers. For me, “The Good Life” represents the afterlife, where loved ones are finally reprieved of worldly constraints. For refugees struggling to cope with the hand they have been dealt, one can only hope that the next life offers peace and justice that this life did not.