Jimmie Durham

Poppies

, 1992
Jimmie Durham

Poppies, 1992

Paint and burn on paper

48.58 x 33.5 cm

In his works incorporating a variety of media such as drawing, painting, installations, performance and writing, Jimmie Durham aimed to convey his commitment to questioning the status quo and the legacy of colonialism in the ordering of the world. This apparently simple painting features the word POPPIES, the only indication that the red blotches of paint represent these flowers, with the burnt paper alluding to the violence surrounding by their ultimate product, opium.