Portraits of Courage

In 2023, I came across a copy of the book of W’s paintings and felt an urge to respond to it. The Portraits of Courage is a war book - a self published monograph of painted military veterans. The author’s audacity to buoy up the lives of those who he had singlehandedly traumatized forever, is brutal and disgraceful.

The book was hollowed out. Although a partial text remained, the book fell silent, and became a monumental object of grief.

The removed reproductions of paintings were lacerated in such a manner that they barely held together. The pairs of deconstructed daubs were woven back together into a new set of images emphasizing the malignant effect of the war even on those who served in it.

In the final act, the portraits were impressed with inkless flowers.