Drought, Conflict, Refugee Health
Oil on canvas · 4.5 x 2 ft · 2010
This piece explores the interaction between women, water, conflict, and refugee health. Represented, is the aerial view of a refugee camp in Sudan. The foreground of the painting is organized and sensical, and as the eye moves up the canvas and back into the space, this order falls apart into chaos and misdirection. Comparably, the refugee experience is oft characterized by disorder and stress, both within the camp setting and in the obstacles of subsequent migrations, assimilation, acculturation, or marginalization. For refugees or the internally displaced, alleviation of stress in extended emergencies is a major concern because of its health effects: physical or mental stress is associated with malnourishment and weakened immunity that can worsen during protracted emergencies. This aerial image is overlaid with an image of broken and cracked ground whose crevasses mimic the compartmentalization created by the throughways of the camp. Lastly a map is abstracted atop the canvas, showing the cross-section of the conflict areas and drought areas in Sudan.