The Promise

Responding to the global health crisis of COVID-19, The Promise critiques the disjoined experiences of the United States and the Middle East. Resting above the water and below a koa`ekea (white tailed tropic bird), the ship representing the United States is filled with medical professionals tending to a patient while physically upholding the Statue of Liberty. Below the water, a small raft holds so many people that several fall out and are seen at the bottom of the composition in orange life-jackets. Despite the jarring disparity between the ships, the virus microbes travel unhindered between regions. Chimera highlights the reality of a undiscriminating pandemic against the backdrop of war, immigration and wealth disparity.