Occupy Utopia 2013

Alaa Awad made this painting called Occupy Utopia with a brush and paint, probably in her studio somewhere, and it's a trip, right? I see these vivid reds and ochres swirling together, like the colours were chosen to evoke the feeling of a dry hot climate. I can only imagine what it was like for her, putting down those first marks, feeling her way through the composition, thinking about utopia, and then deciding to occupy it. There's this figure leaning way back, almost touching the ground – what's that about? Then there are these intense turquoise bodies striking a pose, with so much happening all at once. It feels like she is pulling together different stories, different gestures that resonate with one another to create an image of people in a space of possibility. It makes me think about how we are all in conversation with each other, pulling ideas and images from the past to create something new.