{"status":true,"msg":{"data":{"id":1847,"auction_id":4,"set_id":5,"lot_number":"122","artist":"Charlie Co (b. 1960)","title":"The Invasion","starting_price":450000,"signed_dated":"signed and dated 2006 (lower left)","medium":"oil on canvas","size":"50\" x 80 1/2\" (127 cm x 204 cm)","property":null,"coa":"Accompanied by a certificate issued by Osage Gallery  and signed by the artist confirming the authenticity of this lot","provenance":null,"exhibited":"Osage Gallery, Possession, Hong Kong, June 1 - July 15, 2007","literature":null,"write_up":"Charlie Co's The Invasion forms part of the artist's \n2007 exhibition at the Osage Gallery in Hong Kong \ntitled \"Possession.\" Rendered in his surrealist_x0002_expressionist-social realist visual language, Co tackled in \nthe show disturbing themes of war and bloodshed. Thus, \nthe exhibition's title condemns the \"modern-day demons,\" \ni.e., imperialist forces, possessing and further reinforcing \nan oppressive and exploitative contemporary world order. \nThrough this series of works, Co places his confidence \nand trust in the greater number of the oppressed masses \nin hopes that we may \"exorcise\" this harrowing world \nthrough our collective struggle.<br /><br />\nThe Invasion talks about the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. \nFurthermore, it expounds on the wider picture of the \nUnited States and its monopoly capitalists' insatiable \nlust and unquenchable thirst for the Middle East's oil \nresources to strengthen its stronghold on the global \neconomy and virtually all aspects of living since oil is of \nparamount importance to humanity's sustenance and \nlivelihood: industries, machinery, manufacturing, and the \nlike. The US had intervened in revolutions and wars across \nthe Middle East, crushing anti-US and anti-imperialist \nrevolutionaries and leaderships, and has since waged \nwars and invaded nations to maintain their chokehold \nand monopoly on this precious compound. Wars also \nfeed profit for the US military-industrial complex.<br /><br />\nIn a correspondence with León Gallery, Co delves deeper \ninto this work and gives his valuable insights. \"Being a \nchronicler of current events through my artwork, this is \nmy interpretation of the situation when the US-led allied \ncoalition attacked Iraq,” the artist says. Set on a stage, \na soldier with a US flag patch on his arm leads a war \nagainst Iraq. He is atop a carroza, exuding overconfidence \nthat he, along with his allies, will take control over the \noil resources of the Arabian state, using the supposed \nthreat of mass destruction by Iraq. A crow on the left \nscreams death, while a skull on the right represents the \nbusinessmen taking advantage of this war. Toy soldiers \non the right side of the stage floor charge toward the \nMiddle Eastern scimitar swords on the left.”<br /><br />\nCo concludes: “While doing this, the news was dominated \nby CNN, seemingly a one-sided information; hence this \nwas how I reacted at that time.\" (Adrian Maranan)","lot_group":"PAINTING","lot_details_html":null,"alias":null,"hp":800000,"bp":0.2016,"isWithdrawn":0,"accounting_hp":800000,"userBid":5926,"isPaid":0,"userId":22,"lot_status":"SOLD","isDone":1,"bid_history_id":null,"reserve_price":null,"hammer_price":961280,"fav":0},"image":[{"id":1870,"img_url":"https://leongallery.sgp1.digitaloceanspaces.com/v2/auction/4/5/lot/122.jpg","isFeatured":1}]},"increment":[900000,1000000,1100000,1200000,1300000,1400000,1500000,1600000,1700000,1800000,1900000,2000000,2200000,2400000,2600000,2800000,3000000,3200000,3400000,3600000,3800000,4000000,4200000,4400000,4600000,4800000,5000000,5500000,6000000,6500000,7000000,7500000,8000000,8500000,9000000,9500000,10000000,11000000,12000000,13000000,14000000,15000000,16000000,17000000,18000000,19000000,20000000],"prev":121,"next":123,"count_bid":0,"bid_history":[],"tokenExpired":1}