Cynthia Abdallah
Art by Emma Webster
Emma Webster, Park Service, 2018
Oil on canvas, 84 x 66in / 213 x 168cm
All hail (The third)
Of Tokarevs,
Margolins
Margorovs
Of PBs
Stechkins
Berettas
Of Mossbergs
Saigas
Savages
Of Kalashnikovs
Forts
Remingtons
Of Zbroyar Zs
SV-98s
Cadexes
Of bombs,
Missiles
Grenades
Loss
Emma Webster, Bosco, 2019
Oil on linen, 83 x 111in / 210 x 280cm
Caracas
Of green hills, tall palms, and rustic buildings
Of empanadas, cervezas, and salsa
Of beauties in bikinis, loud chatter, beaches
And nugatory bolivars
vacío
I went where birds do not sing
And the sun does not shine
Gobbledygook!
There is nothing sweet
In a world where love does not jive
Emma Webster, Echo of An Act Left 2022
Oil on linen, 84 x 120 in / 213 x 305 cm
IAN
Clouds move west
Enveloping the skirts of the Avila
And the streets of Caracas
in a broad white sheet
Tall rustic buildings
Disappear under fervent mist
Thunder cracks
Rain falls
Mud slides
Elsewhere
Alligators swim into flooded homes
Occupying spaces
Once safe havens
Cynthia Abdallah
Cynthia Abdallah is a Kenyan author, poet, and filmmaker. Her work has appeared in numerous online magazines and in print. Poems appear in the Tokyo Poetry Journal (Japan), Kwani Uchaguzi, Edition 8 (Kenya), Ake Review, Quailbell Magazine (US), and the Bodies and Scars anthology by Ghana Literary Journal. Short stories appear in Kalahari Review (Kenya), Nalubaale Review (Uganda), Active Muse (India), IHRAF, and Women Narratives on Power (US).
Emma Webster
Emma Webster (USA/UK, b. 1989) is a Californian painter who lives and works in Los Angeles. She has an MFA in Painting from Yale School of Art (2018) and a BA in Art Practice from Stanford University (2011). Her work is in the collections of the Institute of Contemporary Art Miami, Perez Museum (Miami), Columbus Museum of Art, Yuz Museum (Shanghai), Xiao Museum (Suzhou), X Museum (Beijing), Groeninge Museum (Bruges), and Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Webster's recent solo exhibition “Illumiarium,” which opened during Frieze Seoul 2022, was covered by The New York Times, ARTNews, W Magazine, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar. Webster was recently featured on Cultured Magazine’s prestigious 2023 Young Artist List.