Carousel 

Sue Coe's unsettling piece, 'Carousel', done without a specified date, uses charcoal, graphite, and watercolor to deliver a potent social commentary. The imagery evokes a nightmarish merry-go-round, a vehicle of childhood joy turned into a symbol of societal ills. Coe, known for her unflinching critiques, populates her carousel with figures of war, corporate greed, and environmental destruction. The references to the WTO, coupled with images of inflation and layoffs, place this work within the context of late 20th and early 21st-century globalization and its discontents. The tombstones at the bottom, marked with casualty figures from various conflicts, serve as grim reminders of the human cost of these systems. Coe's art is consciously progressive, indicting institutions and power structures. The stark, graphic style owes something to the tradition of political cartooning, but its emotional intensity is distinctly her own. Understanding this piece requires an engagement with the political history of our time. Through research into the events and organizations depicted, we can grasp the full scope of Coe's indictment and her call for a more just world.