Beyond Recognition (Vol. 2) is dominated by deep crimson washes that spill relentlessly across the surface. While their resemblance to blood is unavoidable, they do not illustrate a singular act of violence. Instead, the flowing paint speaks to the stain left by persecution and forced migration. The work draws from histories where cycles of destruction and displacement have shaped generations, whose histories are marked by exile and war. Its companion painting, Beyond Recognition (Vol. 1), replaces the intensity of crimson with transparent layers that gradually accumulate into a textured, dense, weathered surface. Veils of pigment conceal and reveal what lies beneath. The composition here speaks to the slow obscuring of history and the process through which histories disappear from public view.

Resonating with countless communities affected by displacement and persecution, this series intends to call broad attention to how historical recognition is too often delayed, denied, or eventually granted only when it serves political interests. Instances where remembrance becomes subject to diplomacy or mere convenience rather than moral responsibility speaks to broader issues repeated throughout history. One such history is the Nanjing Massacre of 1937, when civilians and prisoners of war were subjected to mass killing and sexual violence during the Japanese occupation of Nanjing. Though widely documented, its memory has often been contested and politicized. This example, one of many, reveals how recognition itself can become a site of struggle.

Using physical behaviors of paint, Beyond Recognition asks what cycles repeat and what struggles conceal as justice remains incomplete for communities around the world. Following its exhibition, Beyond Recognition (Vol. 1) was auctioned to benefit charitable initiatives supporting Armenia.