Cormorants

During the Gulf War (1991), when Saddam Hussein ordered oil to be dumped into the waters of the Persian Gulf, cormorants became a global symbol of ecological disaster: thousands of birds were coated in black oil, lost their ability to fly, and sank into the waters – a painful image of beauty suffocated. Baghdad -born Laurence paints the birds with mourning and compassion, but also with faith in the power of renewal. The black cormorant becomes, in his work, a symbol of resilience and hope – a reminder that even from darkness and pain, one can rise and fly again.