Callous Acceptance

(click on above image for a larger preview)

Title: "Callous Acceptance"

Acrylic painting on canvas.
Seen in ARTnews magazine, March, 1998

Available at Artworks Gallery, Vancouver, Canada (tel: 604 688 3301)
103" by 51" (approximately 4 feet by 8 feet).

I am very concerned about the fate of the Iraqi people under the horrible conditions of economic sanction that have been imposed by the U.S.
In this painting I have used the black image of a stealth bomber as a strong symbol of American power. It is also recognized for performing its destruction under a cloak of secrecy. I feel powerless to bring about change on this issue so I used words and sentences in a graffitti-like manner across the image. Most of the words are not readable in such a small format here but some of the main thoughts are visible.

Have crimes against humanity been committed against the people of Iraq?

It has been acknowledged by the leaders for several years now that the sanctions are only hurting the most vunerable people. Six hundred thousand children have died since the Gulf war directly due to sanctions (United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization study). The numbers are not disputed. It is a disaster on a massive scale. Independant groups have confirmed the estimates. When Madeleine Albright was asked on 'Sixty Minutes' if she thought that all the deaths of so many children was worth it, more than those that died at Hiroshima, she replied "yes it was worth it".

These children have died the cruelest deaths possible. They have mostly died from preventable diseases.

Collective punishment of a civilian population is prohibited under international law.

I will not be happy until all those responsible are tried for crimes against humanity.

My friend, Jillian Skeet, has written:

"The United Nations was founded on the principles of peaceful conflict resolution, not warmongering. Where are the world leaders with the strength of moral conviction willing to stand up for international laws, institutions, and the principles they were built upon? Without them, we face a very bleak future." I believe that the sanctions on Iraq are a weapon of mass destruction.