Camouflage #8

Depicts a head and shoulders portrait of the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, based on well known images of him that were painted in Iraq and appeared in the Western media, showing him covered in the colours of Australian military camouflage. The title of the work refers to the camouflage elements in the painting, which become decorative and artificially bright on Hussein's beret, but also alludes to the War in Iraq; 'so the whole Iraq war seems a camouflage for secrets that may never be revealed'. The background of the painting is filled with Shamsa patterns on an exaggerated scale, the design used to adorn the Koran. The work alludes to the disturbing, unknown and hidden reasons, hence the 'camouflage', behind the war in Iraq. Gordon Bennett's recent paintings deal with the history and significance of international events on a global scale. In the late 1990s, he began his 'Notes to Basquiat' series, which culminated in a number of expressive works related to the September 11th terrorist attack on New York and its aftermath. 'Camouflage #8', following on from this series of works, expresses the idea that we are all bound together and influenced by historical events, such as September 11 and more recently, the War in Iraq, whether living in Australia or the United States.