The Birth of Kali

"If you're the dealer, let me out of the game"
Leonard Cohen

I painted Eastbound Kali at the beginning of the Russian Invasion of the Ukraine. She is the destroyer of evil, a warrior goddess rising up, swinging the limbs and heads of those who dare to stand in her way. She is the belligerent personification of Durga's wrath. In this historic moment, she reminded me that sometimes we have to stand up and fight, before we get devoured.

In Germany, the credo "Nie wieder Krieg!" (war, never again!) was born in the rubble of the postwar era of a nation that has unleashed massive destruction and death on the world through launching two world wars and genocidal action. For us, the generations born after WWII, war had naively seemed like a stupidity that would not be repeated in our lifetime, until it reared its ugly head, close to us, driving thousands and thousands of Ukrainians out of their homeland, many of which have settled in Germany, Poland and other European countries. The day Russian troops invaded Ukraine was a profound shock, a dark day in dark times, not only for the free nation of Ukraine, but for all of Europe. Yet, contrary to our track record as a species, we hope for- and work towards a peaceful future, for our children, for us and for the world.