It was inevitable, therefore, that I’d maintain a notable inter-est in all aspects of war, invasions, deportations and disappear-ances. However, it was only with the birth of my own children, the realization of their fragility at the same time that of the immutability of human nature and truly capricious world politics that led me to paint works of a satirical nature in an effort to contribute at least to some, however small, change of mind-set. The children I introduced into these paintings were simply observers, looking and learning from bad examples.
These new paintings, the ones I’ve been working towards for so long, are different. The children here take centre stage and it is a stage set by some of the most unforgivably vicious minds in modern times. These paintings are a sort of pro memoria about those who lost their young lives but never made it to the front page. They are my formal acknowledgement of my unlucky near-contemporaries and of their great, unmatchable bravery.
Rome, August 2008
