Oil on Canvas, 48” x 36” (2007)

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad provoked UN inspectors to investigate Tehran’s enrichment of uranium, but he may have devised “ocular proof” like Iago, one of Shakespeare’s most complex villains.

“Ahmadinejad maneuvers like Iago because his persuasive rhetoric can mask his underlying intention.” The central Iago/Ahmadinejad figure splits the painting into two contrasting views of Iran: Restriction & Excess.

Theme: A man of cunning coldness and selfishness uses double meaning rhetoric to maneuver his own political gains.