WASIM, Saira; Drawing 'Mission accomplished?'
Many of Saira Wasim's politically engaging miniatures take inspiration from the circus ring, in particular the relationship between animal and master. In Drawing 'Mission accomplished?' former US President George W Bush rides a cow, holding a bow with its arrow drawn at a target we cannot see. Dressed as a maverick cowboy, his head is haloed by a cluster of American bald eagles while a mischievous dragon hovering above fabricates targets for Bush to fire at and control. The cow refers to Bush's home state of Texas, renowned for its beef cattle. As Bush purposefully rides towards his enemy he seems oblivious to the accompanying cacophony of animals. Squashed beneath him and the industries he controls, it is the American public who Wasim metaphorically references in a state of panic as they find themselves carried towards danger. This work is a preparatory study for Mission accomplished? (2005).