What If confronts the erosion of empathy produced by the repeated circulation of images of grief during war and mass violence. Three women carry wrapped bodies against a devastated landscape, their restrained expressions emphasizing endurance rather than spectacle. By centering figures aligned with Western ideals of familiarity and privilege, the work exposes racialized and class-based hierarchies that determine whose suffering is recognized or ignored. Repetition and muted color resist sensationalism, shifting focus to the labor of mourning and the quiet normalization of loss. The painting asks how proximity, comfort, and identity shape moral response.

Medium

Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas

Size

30 × 40 in (76.2 × 101.6 cm)

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