Angkorwat/Ayuthaya

I began this project during a trip to Vietnam just after the start of the US war in Iraq. As an American who came of age during the Viet Nam war, I was overwhelmed by my personal sense of guilt upon visiting Thailand, Viet Nam and Cambodia and my sense of déjà vu with the war in Iraq. I was also struck by the growing tourism of these sites. Angkor Wat, in particular, impressed upon me the contrast between the wealth of the tourist industry and the impoverished and often maimed local population. Both Ayuthaya and Angkor Wat referenced the great kingdoms of the past- extraordinary cities brought down by wars and vanquished to a jungle oblivious to their stunning organization and beauty. I saw parallels with our own time. This work is a metaphor for those parallels. The work is in platinum palladium on watercolor paper.