Artist Statement:

Over the years, I have witnessed numerous distressing events unfold around the world, particularly in the Middle East — the Iran-Iraq War, the conflicts in Afghanistan, instability in Kuwait and Lebanon, the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, and various other wars both in Iran and abroad. Together, these experiences have conveyed a clear message to me: true peace in the Middle East remains elusive. Even when peace is declared, it often lacks genuine substance. Oil, this so-called divine gift, remains the region's defining source of instability — and as long as it stays central to the world's interests there, lasting peace will remain out of reach.