Embers

This piece is inspired by the Armenian genocide. After researching this genocide I found that people were killed because they were Christian. It happened in Turkey when the Muslims and Christian alienated each other and the Muslims feared that their loyalty would divert and they would betray them. The government restricted the rights and discriminated against Christians. During that time period, many Christians had the cross on a necklace which is what is being held in the hand. The face is not shown because they were killed regardless of gender or age only for their religion. Genocide happens when a group is dehumanized, people are unwilling to kill other people, once the human element is removed killing is easier. The Turkish would take the Christians on death marches into the desert. Some were actually drooped off cliffs, the hills in the background acknowledge that and show that the victims were killed in the desert after they were marched out of their homes. Many were burned alive and the fire has a great presence in this piece. Like the killers, it is not seen but it has influenced the entire layout. The hand glows red orange from the fire, the embers from the fire fly around to allow the mind to imagine how big the fire is. The fire was not there on its own, it was created by man, just like the fear and hatred created toward the Christians. The drawing is hazy and it is difficult to depict the hills and other shapes. This symbolizes the smoke that is coming from the fire and how the fear of disloyalty pushed the Turkish to kill. There was just enough suspicion, fear, and hysteria rooted over years of conflict to blind and blur until it drove to genocide. The Turkish tried to hide the genocide for decades and even outlawed mentioning it. It is hard for the Turkish to recall what happened because their memories of history have been faded beyond recognition.