“Broken Rainbow”, Gouache on Paper

Gouache composition on paper, titled”Broken Rainbow”, signed and dated 87 beneath the image. At the center, a brilliant rainbow arcs across a field of deep blue, but instead of forming a whole and continuous bridge, its bands splinter into jagged fragments. Beneath it, the Earth and distant celestial bodies hover in vast silence. Within these stripes appear silhouetted human forms. On the left, an Indigenous figure—rendered with detail and dignity—emerges through the rigid bars, while on the right a shadowed outline suggests another presence held in confinement. Between them, a cluster of tilted stars and fractured flag motifs evoke a sense of instability and dislocation. Here, the rainbow, traditionally a symbol of hope, becomes instead a broken promise, unable to span the void between ideals and lived realities.

Through this striking composition, the artist reflects on the tension between aspiration and erasure. The cosmic expanse evokes universality, yet the Indigenous figure grounds the work in lived history, asserting endurance and presence against systems of control. In “Broken Rainbow,” the interplay of vivid color and stark monochrome becomes a meditation on broken promises, colonial disruption, and the resilience of Indigenous identity. Bold and poignant!

20 1/4” x 24”