Union

2021

Acrylic and gold leaf on canvas

70 x 90 cm

In this second of seven celebratory paintings of the flag of the United Arab Emirates, Lobert further abstracts the four colored bars whose main underlying theme is the unity of Arab emirates. Token gold leaf is scattered about and further emphasized by the artist’s first ever use of gold paint; a metallic hue so entrenched throughout the land’s identity to become synonymous with it in collective consciousness. The entire composition is further integrated by the curious scraping of a fork-like tool, giving the impression of a wildly whipping desert wind across the piece, in intricate spontaneous streaks.