Passages

22x28" oil on canvas . 2012

This painting was inspired by a short film called "Passages" by Shirin Neshat


 There is a scene near the end, of a group of women in a circle digging a hole with their hands. I found this scene extremely compelling and disturbing. Repeatedly they chant one word in Persian as they shovel the earth with their bare hands and bob up and down. They chant one word that sounds as if they are saying  "Die".

Taking liberties with this image, the phantom women in white make their escape in the derelict ship of gold. To the left as the women dig, water springs from the ground and seeps through the rocks.

 In Iran, the rule of law harks back to the lore of an eye for an eye.
 A woman was recently beheaded after being accused of witchcraft.
 Stoning is the punishment wielded for misdemeanor's you and I have probably committed.